Selling your home likely means hosting at least one open house to attract potential buyers. To get the most impact from the event, it’s time to get a bit creative. Just a few tips, from food ideas for an open house to open house themes, can draw more guests and make it more likely that someone will want to put in an offer on your home.
LOOK AT MARKET TRENDS
If you want potential buyers to come see your house, you have to know what potential buyers are looking for. Do some research on current real estate trends and use that knowledge to highlight the parts of your house that will draw significant interest. Maybe you need to take some extra photographs of your kitchen, or you need to point out that your deck features plenty of space for entertaining. You can also use this information to customize any updates and staging, like converting that third bedroom into an office instead of showing it as a nursery.
You can also do some research on demographics. Find out what the demographic of your current neighborhood is, and use that to build your marketing strategy for similar people as potential buyers. Older residents mean you may want your marketing geared a bit more towards print advertising, a family-friendly neighborhood may be best served on Facebook, and an area that tends to attract young, single professionals may show best on Instagram.
IMPROVE YOUR HOME’S CURB APPEAL
The first part of your house that people see is the outside, so make sure your curb appeal is irresistible. Mow the lawn and have sod put down if your grass is patchy. Weed the gardens and add some fresh mulch — add plants that are currently in season for a bigger impact. Have your home’s exterior, driveway, and walkway pressure-washed to be bright and clean. Make sure your fence, porch, and deck look nice, even if that means restaining before the open house.
Anything you can do on the outside to make your house look better will help. Potential buyers will assume that if the outside looks so nice, the inside is likely in equally good condition, and will want to see it for themselves. Even if your interior is pristine, a run-down exterior will certainly scare away some people.
ADVERTISE PROPERLY
Advertise for your open house in advance and don’t stick to one channel. While newspapers and community magazines can be a great source of potential buyers, you’ll also want to hype the event on social media – as many platforms as you can handle. While your realtor will likely handle most or all of the advertising, posting on your own accounts as well increases the range of people who learn about the event. Post photos on Twitter, videos on Instagram and Tiktok, create an event on Facebook and even discuss your house on NextDoor and other similar platforms.
Once social media is covered, print off flyers and rack cards and distribute them at businesses in your town. People in the market for a home always have one eye out for options, and putting your home in front of them in unexpected places may drive them to see if it’s what they’re looking for. If you’ve researched demographics, you can use that information to help you further — maybe people similar to your neighbors prefer to shop at a certain grocery store or use a local salon. While you don’t want to skip other areas if you don’t have to, start in places that attract the kind of people most likely to buy your home.
CHANGE THE TIME FRAME
Traditionally, open houses have occurred on weekends and lasted most of the day, starting around 9 or 10 in the morning and lasting until late afternoon or early evening. While there are benefits to that, consider changing it up. Start by cinching the length of time — instead of all day, limit the open house to two or three hours. This creates a sense of urgency where potential buyers will feel like they are going to miss out. The shorter time frame also means more people visiting at once, which will make the event look more crowded, and will attract even more viewers. Fear of missing out can be a powerful tool.
Consider having your open house during the week. It may seem counterintuitive — potential buyers have to work to be able to afford your house, right? However, by offering a shorter open house during and just after rush hour, you can actually attract a lot of people on their way home from work. Plus, you won’t be competing with all of the weekend open houses, which means you get all of the traffic to yourself.
MEET THE NEIGHBORS
Your neighbors already have their homes so you might not think to invite them to an open house, but you should. They can talk up your home and the local area to potential buyers, and they may very well have friends or family members who are in the market for a home. The key is to be subtle. You’re not selling to them; you’re just being a good neighbor. Stop by a few days before the open house and give them advance notice that you’re hosting the event and there will be some increased traffic. If you’ve done renovations or upgrades, particularly ones where the neighbors would have seen contractor vehicles in your driveway for a few days, you can point out that if they want to stop by, they will get the chance to see the final results. Either way, no pressure, and the seed has been planted.
GO VIRTUAL
A significant portion of life is lived online, and buying a house is no exception. Arrange for your open house to also happen virtually. Have a 360-degree video recorded, and assign family members or members of your real estate agent’s team to host live streams on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. Both introverts and people too far away to stop by in person will appreciate the chance to see the house and ask questions without having to be there. Additionally, having people walking around filming live streams will make it clear to visitors that your house is drawing attention from people near and far, which increases the competition.
MAKE IT A PARTY
Open houses don’t have to be, and shouldn’t be, bland events that are all about selling. Instead, turn yours into a party. Consider choosing an open house theme — a holiday party if you’re selling in winter, for instance. You can also simply opt for cocktails or family-friendly fun with a bounce house if you prefer. Regardless, arrange for food and drinks, whether it’s catered or you hire a food truck and play some music. If your open house promises not to be boring, even the weariest house-hunters will still attend.
COORDINATE WITH OTHERS
Do you know of any other houses in your immediate area going up for sale? If so, consider coordinating your open houses for the same day. Not only can you share the advertising, but you can also promote all of them as an open-house tour. If you’re also adding the party element, consider doing a progressive dinner, where people start at one house for appetizers, and enjoy another course at each house, finishing with dessert.
An experienced, professional realtor, like Brandon Carney at Seaside Realty, will coordinate the open house and guide you through every step of the home-selling process, making it easier for you to focus on the next stage of your life. Whether you’re selling a Virginia Beach condo or a Chesapeake luxury home, his expertise and knowledge of the Virginia coast will ensure that you get top dollar for your property.
