How to Hold an Open House

An open house can be a great way to sell your home if you are confident about its appearance and pull. However, in order to hold a successful open house, there are a few tips you need to keep in mind.

Clean up your home

Before you let prospective buyers walk through your home and assess it, you must clean everything up. Dust the tables, clean the windows, brush the couches and curtains to make everything is as presentable as it can be. Buyers will be put off by unclean floors and messy rooms. Remove the clutter and lock it all up in your garage or closets.

Promote your open house

You can use social media to promote your open house in your locality. Putting up an ‘Open House’ sign in your front lawn a few days in advance will also help. If you want a successful open house, you need to have as many serious buyers as possible.

Invite your neighbors

While you may not like the thought of your immediate neighbors going through your property, it is actually good for sales. People are always interested in neighboring properties, and if one is up for sale, they might actually invite their friends and family members, looking to settle near them.

Neutralize the interior

You want the prospective buyers to image themselves living in your house, and having your own personal objects lying around will not help that. Moreover, you might face embarrassment during the showing if you have not been particular about cleaning up your personal items.

Lock up valuables and medicines

Small valuables, like electronics, cash, cards etc need to be locked up properly before you let strangers in. Likewise, all medicines should either be locked, or removed from cabinets etc. These measures are only practical and are for your own protection.

Make a list and ask for identification

Be confident and require identification from all guests at your door. Have a clipboard with you and make all the guests sign it and show you a valid ID, like a driving license. Don’t be afraid of coming across as rude. It is your house and letting strangers in is a security risk you need to deal with appropriately. If a person is unwilling to show identification or sign your list, you are better off without that individual.

Set ground rules

Before you let everyone in, it is best to let them know the ground rules. If you are uncomfortable with people using the bathrooms, let them know beforehand. Likewise, if there are any restricted areas, clarify everything in advance to prevent any issues from arising later on.