There are those who believe the open houses shouldn’t be that much of a problem since, according to them, it’s not an effective way to market property anymore. However, such thinking can cause problems if you happen to go with such a flow.
“How am I going to attract interested buyers then?”, “How come nobody’s interested in my property?” are only some of the problem questions that need consideration if you truly want to sell. Don’t fret though because here are 5 actionable tips for open house problems:
- HD photos and videos – Simply put, there’s no substituting having magnificent HD photos and/or videos for that home of yours. These pics and videos are going to send more people to the open house you’re hosting. Aside from the interest this generates to your home, it also generates interest in your neighborhood. Moreover, you’ll be having a brochure in your front yard with the flyers featuring the interior of your home & in stunning HD to boot.
- Online syndicate marketing – Syndicate marketing happens when your listings get shown on at least a few of the well-known real estate websites. In here, the aforementioned HD photos and videos will come more into play since they’re going to be featured on a number of listing websites in order to drive exposure to your property. While on the site, you can show pics and videos of your home’s interior as well as exterior and nearby shopping centers and schools, among others.
- Visiting your neighbors – What you do here is to simply get around your neighborhood and begin to visit your neighbors, letting them know that you’re having an open house. You may feel somewhat apprehensive about this, but just work a bit out of that comfort zone and, in no time, you’ll get used to doing it. Besides, your neighbors would definitely want to know who’ll be moving in next door.
- Staging – What this does is that it’s going to lead you to your home getting sold faster, your property will be on the market for fewer days than most, your holding costs will be lower and this may help in driving up the price when it comes to your offers. Plus, it’ll be good for you to know that on a national level, staged homes stay on the market for only 45 days, compared to 102 days for those who opted to not get their homes staged. Although staging will cost you more than you want, the advantages you get far outweigh the disadvantages. Moreover, staging your house means turning it into a home, making a buyer imagine that they already live in it.
- Lighting and mood – Be sure that your house is lit well once the potential buyers visit it. Your house should let natural light to get through. You can even make use of artificial lighting in order to better highlight your house’s specific features.
- Customized brochures – Potential buyers are going to be most likely to look at a few more homes as the weekend progresses. On your part, you’d certainly want to be sure that they get one of your customized brochures which contain your photographs as well as information. After these potential buyers have looked at a handful of homes, it is expected that there will be some who may forget the certain features of that home of yours. It is in this light that you’d want them to get something tangible that they could bring home and look at later.
- Legal information – Alongside your customized brochures, it’s highly recommended that you have the information of your lawyer readily available for possible buyers. In case they have plans to submit offers, they’re going to need your lawyer’s info. You could have a business card coming from your lawyer inserted inside your brochures, letting buyers know that they could make offers and, in turn, you and your lawyer can review them.
- Knowledge and being detail-oriented-– It’s common for buyers to take browse up at least a dozen homes before settling on one to purchase. They’re going to most likely have the knowledge when it comes to the goings-on within the neighborhood, so be sure that you’ll bring these points up. In addition, don’t fail to mention the malls, parks and/or schools that are located nearby as these will also contribute to the saleability of your home.
- Choose “off” hours – A lot of open houses happen during weekends, more often on Sundays. It’s recommended that you hold it from 3pm to 5pm since you’ll have less open house competition, plus, you even draw more attention to your house. Buyers usually go to open houses on the same day and it’s likely that they get keen on seeing the next ones. However, once the day ends, your house can get seriously considered.
