Hosting an open house

Thinking of selling your property? Now, a great way to do this is to put it up for sale on Bproperty.com (great way, actually). And yes there are lots of ways to make your house sellable. But to make it visible, one of the steps that really makes your property stand out and a great way to show it off is to have an open house. So what are some of the things you should do when hosting an open house?

Super Clean

This definitely goes without saying, but it’s so important, we have to mention it. Clean the place. Everything. Every nook and cranny must be cleaned when hosting an open house. You never know where someone is going to look and what they may be looking for. You want to give any viewer the impression that this property is beautiful and has been well looked after. Think ‘successful open house’, unless you don’t want to sell the place…

Be Spacious

It’s clean but there isn’t any space to move around. Now what good does that do? So remove everything? That won’t help either. So dress up the place with minimal furniture or seating arrangements for guests. But ensure there is plenty of space to move around. The next aspect will also help with making the place look a little bigger.

clear Lighting

Now that it’s clean, light it up. Let viewers see every inch of the place in clarity. Also, set up lights in a way that makes the space open up and look huge! Great lighting (we don’t mean the brightest lights available though) shows off the right accents of your property. Natural lighting is the best but also get warm lights rather than plain white to add some comfort to the place for a successful open house. Focus on the bedrooms, living room and kitchen. These are the places that impress most upon home seekers.

Nothing personal

Note: you want the place to feel comfy and like it a family belongs there but don’t put up anything personal of your own. That is a huge mistake many make. The main disadvantage of this is the way it restricts the viewer’s plans. Your family picture may be warm, but it’s not my family and that’s not where I’d put it but now you have it stuck in my head and I no longer feel like this is the living room of my dreams. Seems a little extreme, but psychology can be tricky. So best avoid personal material.

No pets

A playful pup and comfy cat add volumes to a place. But sometimes it’s just a little too loud for comfort. Our little best friends can also make quite the mess when hosting an open house which is the last thing we want. And let’s not forget, pets aren’t something everyone loves even if you think life without them would be meaningless.

Signs & labels

Make everything clear. From outside your doorstep to the inside, label everything. Keep signs outside telling people what’s going on, where to enter, whether shoes are allowed and how to maneuver your place. signs inside should clearly state which part of the house they’re in/going to, where the snacks bar is, which bathroom can be used (if any), and anything else you can think of that would help people understand your place better when hosting an open house.

Snacks & Brochures

Yes. A snacks bar is a great idea. An empty tummy makes for grumpy folk which is bad for business and decision making. Make guests feel welcome and comfortable with some light snacks like chips, finger foods and small cups for lemonade. Just keep it small and don’t serve a meal.

This table should also contain any brochures you have outlining the property, its details, and your personal input, requirements and preferences. Personal input is good here as it helps with trust and transparency building to smooth decision making on the guest’s side and having a successful open house.

Clean up capable

So whether from the snacking or just roaming around, the place is bound to get a little messy between viewing sessions. Design your open house in a way that it’s easy to clean up afterwards. Keep bins accessible and ask guests to clean their shoes before entering. Or just have someone dedicated to cleaning up the place.

You vs Agent

You can have your own successful open house or have an agent do it. What are the benefits of each? Well that’s worth an article of its own, but in simple terms an agent makes it easier on you, at a cost of course. But if you do it alone, you can do it to your precise likings and save some money too. Choice is yours.

Bproperty has hosted a couple of open houses ourselves; fit with online marketing ahead of time. They were a great success. So if you are planning on selling your property you should think about hosting an open house with these things in mind.