OPEN HOUSE TIPS FOR SELLERS:
Top 5 Tips For a Successful Open House and Showings
Written By: Mariko Baerg, REALTOR of Bridgewell Real Estate Group
If you’re looking for a realtor to help you sell or buy a property, call me today!
The market is hot, but that doesn’t mean your home is going to sell itself. We’ve written down our top 5 tips for a successful open house and showings that will help you to achieve a top dollar sale. Here are our open house tips for sellers!
Tip #1: Leave the house
You know your home better than anyone, so for a lot of sellers it can be quite tempting to want to help to sell your home while buyers are at the open house or touring your property. However, in our experience it actually makes the buyers quite uncomfortable. When they come through your house, in order to sell it for top dollar, you’ll need them to feel like that house is theirs – or they can make it theirs. Rather, if you’re at the house during a showing or open house, you’ll hear them often saying “sorry” when they see you as if they are intruding – which is exactly how they feel.
Interesting Fact: The National Association of Realtors reports that the #1 reason a house stays on the market for a long time is the Seller being home during showings. Regardless if you are outside the door waiting or just sitting on the couch watching TV, they still feel uncomfortable.
Serious buyers will take their time to look at all the little details of your home, so you don’t want to make them feel rushed. They’ll open up all of the cabinets, check to see if the sinks are all running water properly, will check on the appliances, and maybe even make some negative remarks about your home (which you probably don’t want to hear anyways). They’ll spend more time focused on you than the home if you’re there, and they’ll be less able to make a personal connection to it.
Tip #2: Leave all the lights on
Leaving the lights on will make the home feel bright and inviting. Nobody wants to live in a gloomy, dark home – so don’t make it feel like a basement suite. Turn on all the lights, open the curtains, and let the natural light shine in as well. Your realtor will love you if you do this before every showing and open house – we’ll turn them off when we leave.
Tip #3: Be flexible with showing times, and expect people to come late and early
Most showings will happen outside of the regular 9-5 work hours, so expect the majority of showings to be in the evening (usually no later than 9) and on the weekends. Statistically, 50% of buyers won’t book a second showing if you reject them the first time.
A number of buyers are doing a tour, and you’re home is just one of 5-12 different condos. If the buyers are from out of town, or a 30-45 minute drive away, then odds are they won’t want to come back to your place for a second time if you cannot accommodate them the first. Restricting showing times means that you’re restricting the pool of Buyers that will potentially buy your homes, and fewer buyers means a lower selling price.
While most showings book with 12 hours notice, we’ve seen some with as little as 30 minutes notice. While tenants are required by law to be given 24 hours notice, if you’re an owner-occupier than we recommend allowing showings between 9am-9pm, 7 days a week, with as little notice as possible. Always be ready for a showing, so always keep your place as clean as possible.
Most showings are only scheduled for 15 minutes, but in reality the average showing is closer to 20-30 minutes. Having them stay for longer is actually a bonus, because it means they are probably more interested than the average person. Allow for a minimum of 30 minutes every showing, and head out to a local coffee shop or go for a walk while they’re viewing.
Tip #4: Make it look show-home quality
While your home is listed, it’s best to always make sure the home is in “show home quality” at all times – especially before you leave to work. As a guideline, here’s some things you should make sure to do before you leave:
- Make the beds
- Keep the kitchen clean – no dishes in the sink, clear the counters
- Do all the dishes or put them in the dishwasher
- Tidy the bathroom – keep the countertops clean, hang up the towels
- No clothes, toys, or junk on the floor (keep the living room, dining room,and bedrooms clean)
- Take the garbage and recycling out
- Put away all cash and hide all valuables
- Leave all the lights on
A showing could be booked last minute while you’re out or at work, so make sure that you don’t need to freak out and rush home to get the house all spick and span. We know it’s annoying, but hopefully in a market this hot all of this work will only last a week. Believe me, it’s well worth it, and your work will pay off. (literally)
Tip #5: No smoking and no strong odours
You only have one chance to make a good first impression. If a house is smoky or has a distinct smell, it’s one of the first things that gets brought up and can turn people off. If you are a smoker, make a conscious effort to smoke outside of the home from the time you list your home until the possession day.
Try to avoid strong odours and cooking meals during the open house and showings as some buyers may be allergic. Try and make any smells as neutral as possible and air out the place an hour before anyone comes through!
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Now that you have our open house tips for sellers you know where to start and what to expect! If you’re thinking of selling, it’s important to first start with finding the right realtor with the right marketing plan, that can price your home smart. Call us today at 604-765-0376 for a free market evaluation. Prefer text? 604-319-0200 to set up an appointment or ask questions. Or email [email protected]
