Hey guys today we’re going to talk about how to do the pivotal open house. An open house in a hot market like NYC or San Francisco is one of the most important events you can host when selling your home. It’s so important because an open house if marketed well in advance, will bring a lot of traffic and create an atmosphere of an auction. In a sale is important as your own home, you definitely want the buyers have an auction mentality! I would even recommend asking your friends and family to show up to the open house, because it’s so important to have the appearance of a lot of demand. This way, if you happen to have a slow couple of hours the buyers who do come will feel like there are a lot more buyers than in actuality.
Another important thing to remember is to make sure your home has refreshments and perhaps some snacks for buyers who come in. Now I know this is an issue for a lot of you homeowners try to sell by yourself, the reason you’re doing it is because you’re so cheap. But it just keep in mind, that you’re saving 6% in agent commissions by doing it yourself, So there’s no reason to not spend a few hundred dollars on drinks and snacks and any other refreshments that might be appropriate. Having a buyer in your home who is able to relax and have a drink of cold water and perhaps even use the restroom will be much more important you think. The open house is no time to skimp on expenses such as this. You can also ask a friend or hire a home stager to make sure your home is lovely and cleaned before the open house. If you’re short on time, it might make sense to hire a professional cleaner in advance of the open house to make sure your home is sparkling clean.
I would also hire a professional real estate photographer in advance of the open house if you can. This real estate photographer would take great wide-angle photos of your home in the best light and post it on mind to your listings before your open house. Great photos can make the difference between having a wildly successful open house and a poorly attended showing. You may need to schedule the photographer to come in at least several days before your open house so they can properly edit and Send you the finished photos. You can also encourage the photographer to make some slight Photoshop edits the photo to improve lighting and such. Please be warned though, to not make too many changes in Photoshop as you do not want to mislead buyers. Another thing you should consider, is to purchase floor plans so when buyers know what your home looks like. You may already have an old floor plan of your apartment, but you should consider getting a branded new one that is as updated as possible. It’ll be especially important to get an up to date Floorplan if you’ve had renovations done. After having all of this done, I promise you will be miles ahead of the next homeowner in trying to sell their homes by themselves.
Another important thing to remember is to make sure your home has refreshments and perhaps some snacks for buyers who come in. Now I know this is an issue for a lot of you homeowners try to sell by yourself, the reason you’re doing it is because you’re so cheap. But it just keep in mind, that you’re saving 6% in agent commissions by doing it yourself, So there’s no reason to not spend a few hundred dollars on drinks and snacks and any other refreshments that might be appropriate. Having a buyer in your home who is able to relax and have a drink of cold water and perhaps even use the restroom will be much more important you think. The open house is no time to skimp on expenses such as this. You can also ask a friend or hire a home stager to make sure your home is lovely and cleaned before the open house. If you’re short on time, it might make sense to hire a professional cleaner in advance of the open house to make sure your home is sparkling clean.
I would also hire a professional real estate photographer in advance of the open house if you can. This real estate photographer would take great wide-angle photos of your home in the best light and post it on mind to your listings before your open house. Great photos can make the difference between having a wildly successful open house and a poorly attended showing. You may need to schedule the photographer to come in at least several days before your open house so they can properly edit and Send you the finished photos. You can also encourage the photographer to make some slight Photoshop edits the photo to improve lighting and such. Please be warned though, to not make too many changes in Photoshop as you do not want to mislead buyers. Another thing you should consider, is to purchase floor plans so when buyers know what your home looks like. You may already have an old floor plan of your apartment, but you should consider getting a branded new one that is as updated as possible. It’ll be especially important to get an up to date Floorplan if you’ve had renovations done. After having all of this done, I promise you will be miles ahead of the next homeowner in trying to sell their homes by themselves.