Once you have made a good impression with photos, videos and marketing copy, the next step of your property sale campaign is to impress the crowds at your open home.
The key is to ensure buyers find the home so appealing that you have multiple offers coming in the week after your open home. This is the best time to generate competition and achieve an outcome you’re more than happy with.
A quality real estate agent will work with you to create a clear strategy for your open home day. They will speak with you about the following:
Creating curb appeal
The view from the curb is the first real impression potential buyers get of your home. You want them to feel good about the property at this point.
Tidy the garden, give any paths or driveways a pressure wash, add a lick of paint and take care of any other necessary repairs. Ensure access to the front door is easy and that any plants in the front yard look healthy.
Finally, make sure you have a clearly visible house number so buyers can easily find the home.
Clean and tidy
Cleaning means more than dusting and vacuuming ahead of open home day. You need to declutter and remove more personal items like family photos wherever possible.
If your property is too full of your personality, it can be overwhelming to buyers. Presenting your place as a blank slate makes it easier for them to imagine how they will make the house their own. They need to be able to see the potential of the home and not see it as an already occupied house.
Even though dust and dirt is easy to remove, it creates a bad impression on open home day. Bring in cleaners if you don’t have time to do a deep clean yourself.
Hire a property stylist
Professional stylists know exactly how to make your property look like a display home that buyers will fall in love with.
A stylist will know where to place furniture and art to maximise the positive impression of every room. They can help you figure out what needs to go and what can stay.
There are costs involved, but having the home well-styled has been found to add a significant percentage to the final sale price of a property.
Pay attention to the whole property
The backyard and any balconies or patios are also important. Ensure yours are tidy and that any furnishings are arranged to appeal to your target audience; with play equipment for a family home or an outdoor dining set for an entertainer’s paradise.
Don’t forget to tidy down the sides of the house. Buyers are likely to look wherever they can, and if they see piles of junk, they might try to knock down the price.
Take a walk
Don’t hang around during your open home. It can be awkward for potential buyers and upsetting for you to be there when strangers inspect your home. Leave the work to your agent and find somewhere else to be for the duration.
Have a top-notch agent
The most important ‘accessory’ at an open home is a motivated and well-prepared real estate agent. Your agent will be on hand to take down people’s details and answer any questions potential
buyers have. They will also be prepared with floor plans and brochures for buyers to take home.
Your agent will give you feedback immediately after the open home, then call the people who visited over the next couple of days to find out who is interested in making an offer. Then they get to work negotiating and confirming the sale of your property.
It takes time and effort to prepare for an open home but if you have several parties who show up and the property looks its best, you’re more likely to get the bidding war you are hoping for.
Need more help to get your property ready for a home open? Contact me today on 0410 665 947.
