How to Plan a Successful Open House

by Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES 06/02/2019

An open house is a great way to showcase your home for sale to potential buyers. A successful open house is one that helps you to bring several concrete offers for your house for sale. Below are some guidelines to help you successfully plan your next open house event;

Time Your Event Right: The time for your open house event should not be unrealistic. Set a time that you can keep up with, and that is also convenient for people to come. Weekends are the best times for open houses or evenings on a weekday. Look at the weather forecast for that day and make sure poor weather will not disrupt your open house event. 

Set a Budget: Have a realistic budget for your open house. Are you considering showcasing a fully staged home, or an empty house? What refreshments are you providing for guests? Have some money ready as a precaution in case something entirely out of the blue occurs that you have to handle. 

Clear away clutter: You may choose to stage your home to look as naturally lived in as possible. However, you should also get rid of all the clutter around the house. Setting a house up typically helps to make the potential buyers feel comfortable so you should make it as convenient and organized as possible.

Get Professional Help: There's no doubt that there's got to be food, beverages, and entertainment. Instead of insisting on cooking yourself, you can order the food to be delivered before your guests arrive.

Get the word out! You may need to send many invites in the form of cards, emails and even set reminders via social media. You can also invite neighbors and friends through Facebook and other social media channels.

Plan for Safety: Most open house events last for two hours or so. Ensuring the utmost safety during an open house is very important since a lot of people, including strangers, would be in attendance. This may involve taking a look at your insurance policy to see what it covers, keeping valuables out of reach, and informing your neighbors about your event. You can have an assistant at the open house to help you stay with people as they move around the home. 

Ready to get started? Speak to a real estate agent about planning a successful open house today.

About the Author
Author

Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES

Lisa is a sales and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience representing buyers and sellers throughout Fairfield County. Her deep understanding of local residential markets and current trends along with the exceptional local and global networking resources of Berkshire Hathaway allow her to provide the highest level of personalized, professional and confidential services to her clients. An experienced listener and negotiator, she works with her clients to thoroughly understand and achieve the results they desire. Dedicated, discreet, ethical, honest and principled, Lisa has been consistently recognized as a top producing agent and is a trusted resource within her communities. * Certified Relocation Specialist *Accredited Real Estate Buyer’s Representative (ABR) *Accredited, Senior Real Estate Specialist Council (SRES) *Member, National Association of Realtors *Member, Connecticut Association of Realtors *Member, Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors * Member, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Lisa is a lifelong area resident who grew up in Westport and currently resides in Southport. She is actively involved as a volunteer for several local organizations including the CT Alzheimer’s Association.