Think of the strain of preparing for the first visit by the in-laws. Is the house clean? Will they like your decorating? Will they find fault? Now multiply that several times and you get an idea of what’s involved when planning for a real estate open house.
An open house can be key to selling your home-especially if you’re selling it without the help of a real estate agent-but it can also be fraught with missteps, from leaving a front porch unswept to assaulting browsers with information as soon as they walk in the door.
So before you put an ad in the paper or post a sign at the intersection, open-house experts say you should put together a plan of action to show off your house’s finer points.
Be prepared: Planning and executing an open house is hard work. But if you follow a few simple guidelines, you may be rewarded for your labor with a buyer.
Before setting a date, take a hard look at the house. Better yet, have a friend or neighbor do it because they’re likely to be more objective, advises Patricia Jones Frost, broker associate and director of continuing education for Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Chicago.
“Because we can all learn to live with things that bother others, have them analyze the situation from the curb to the front door,” Frost says. Make sure you ask a friend who can be frank with you and is willing to tell you that your steps need sweeping, or your kitchen smells funny, she advises.
Also, have someone check the traffic flow of the house to make sure browsers can move about easily. Consider taking a leaf out of the dining-room table or moving a chair so the house looks more spacious. Frost suggests buying a floor lamp or two to light up dark corners.
“They add a lot, don’t cost too much and you can take them with you” when you move, she says.
Before you invest a lot of money on refurbishing, first consider whether you’ll recoup the expenses when you sell the house. If it’s paint or carpet cleaning, get it done. Otherwise, crunch some numbers before taking on a big project to sell the house, Frost says.
Real estate agents say the best time to have an open house is Saturday and Sunday afternoons, between noon and 4 p.m., adding that the busiest time will be between 2 and 3 p.m.
But don’t dismiss stragglers. “They are usually the best prospects,” says Dennie Okuhara, broker associate for LaThomus and Co. in Chicago. “If they have been out all day looking at houses, and they still show up to see yours at the end of the day, they are serious.”
Better yet is someone who shows up in the snow or rain. You can be sure they are interested, Okuhara says.
Do not plan an open house during a street fair or another event that brings outsiders to your neighborhood, says John Eggert, sales associate for Prudential Preferred Properties in Lincoln Park. That goes for the Chicago Marathon and the Air and Water Show, if you live along Chicago’s lakefront.
“More people in the neighborhood does not necessarily mean the right buyer,” Eggert says. Traffic may be so heavy-and parking so scarce-it discourages potential buyers.
The week before the open house, place ads in local papers and post signs at busy nearby intersections, she says.
Then get out the elbow grease.
Clear off all surfaces, take afghans off couches, get mail and magazines off of coffee tables and remove appliances from the kitchen counter, Frost says. But don’t just shove it all in a closet or cabinet because an open house is the one time when strangers can pry through all your storage areas.
Frost advises that baskets and decorations on top of cabinets should also be stored away. Otherwise, it will look like you don’t have enough storage space, she says.
“The front hall should be sparkling,” Okuhara says. It’s the first thing browsers see, and if it’s dark and cluttered, they may get the impression that the rest of the house is dingy, too, she says.
Don’t worry about family pictures or religious artifacts on the walls, unless there are so many that they’re distracting, brokers say. You want people to look at the house, not your relatives.
Not child’s play
Be sure to send your kids and pets to grandma’s house for the weekend, Okuhara says. Both need attention you won’t have time to give.
Prepare a list of major points about the house and type it up so browers can carry it with them as they wander through the house, Frost says. If the kitchen has just been repainted or if the roof was replaced two years ago, point it out.
List average utility bills.
Also, don’t forget to tout your neighborhood because “people aren’t just buying the house, they’re also buying the neighborhood,” Frost says.
Don’t assume your decorating taste will appeal to everyone. You may hear some insulting comments, she says. Just remember, though, you are trying to sell your house, not your services as an interior decorator.
On the day of the open house, be sure to dress comfortably because it will be a long day. Skip the suit because dressing up too much may intimidate people. On the other hand, buyers may not take you seriously in sweats and a T-shirt. Try casual pants and a shirt.
Wear a name tag so people can figure out that you’re the seller. As people enter the house, introduce yourself and point out a few amenities. But don’t overdo it because if you barrage them with too much information, they won’t remember anything.
Sign in, please
Ask browsers to sign in with their name and phone number. Frost suggests writing a few names on the list first because no one likes to be the first one on a sign-in sheet.
Be sure to put away your valuables because people will be walking through the house unattended, Okuhara says. (See accompanying story.) Be available for questions, but don’t hover.
Don’t bother baking a pie to make the house smell homey, agents say. Most buyers are too sophisticated to fall for that trick. But if the house has a bad odor, make sure to get rid of it.
If it’s a hot day, you can provide a pitcher of lemonade, but it’s not necessary, Frost says. Supply paper cups and let browsers serve themselves.
Soft music is OK, but don’t try to drown out the “L” or a busy street. People should know what they are getting when they buy the house, Frost says.
As of Oct. 1, sellers in Illinois must supply a written disclosure report about their house to potential buyers in a timely fashion, Frost says.
Although some in the real estate industry suggest putting out the completed forms at an open house, Steve Bochenek, general counsel for the Illinois Association of Realtors, recommends they be passed out only to interested buyers who are prepared to make an offer.
Have at least five contracts with riders attached available in envelopes for interested buyers. If you don’t hear back from them in a week, have a friend follow up with phone calls to the people on your sign-in sheet. Home buyers are more likely to speak openly with someone other than you, the seller.
Finally, keep in mind that a lot of people who show up for an open house will be what real estate agents call tire-kickers. They’re not seriously looking for a new home-they’re just there out of curiosity or for something to do.
And what if a few nosy neighbors show up at the door?
Eggert suggests you welcome them in.
“You never know,” he says. “Yeah, they’re curious. But they could very well know someone who knows someone looking for a house in your area. Don’t discourage them.”
TIPS FOR A SAFE OPEN HOUSE
An open house is just about the only time a homeowner would even think about having total strangers roam freely about the house. If you’re conducting your own open house, some common-sense security measures will lower the chances that a visitor might make off with a “souvenir.”
“The key issue is to be smart,” says John Eggert, sales associate for Prudential Preferred Properties in Lincoln Park. “I would highly recommend someone else, a friend or relative, be there (at the open house) to keep track of people.
“I’ll make a point to blend in with the background, not force myself on a potential buyer, but to be there,” he says.
Eggert warns not to let potential buyers wander too far through the house by themselves. If you have to leave someone unattended, he says, be sure it’s in a safe room such as the living room, where there are few small items to pocket.
Speaking of small items, put away things like jewelry, small picture frames and coin jars, he says. Don’t just stuff them in a drawer or toss them on the closet floor, but hide them.
“Small things would be the most likely to disappear,” he says. “TVs and radios usually don’t.” If you are uncomfortable leaving something in the house, leave it with a trusted friend or family member.
