Keys to a Great Open House
Your life has changed and it’s time to sell.
That’s awesome! You’ve got a bright future & we’re excited for you. But between now and then, you’ve got work to do. You have an asset to dispose of, and you’re going to say goodbye to a home full of memories.
If you are thinking of selling your home yourself
, then this blog is for you.
Part of your marketing plan is probably going to involve at least one open house, and that’s a good thing. Why? Because they work...we’ve sold many homes this way.
In this short post, I’ll cover how to optimally time your open house, as well as drop in a few other free tidbits about how to run a successful open house, which could result in a sale (and the associated new life!).
But First: Other Things to Consider
The Question of “when” is really just part of a bigger question: “how to get as many people as possible to my open house”.
More accurately, from a sales & marketing perspective:
“How do I get as many qualified buyers through my home for minimum input of my time, money &/or energy?” - You
Here are some things to think about:
Letting People Know (How)
The Event Itself (What)
Preparing Your Home For Sale (What)
Timing (When)
We will cover these in order:
1) Letting People Know About Your Open House
Think about your target market - old versus young, male versus female. Who is going to
buy your place? You’ll want to write the listing with them in mind, and once complete, you need to get that listing in front of as many of them as possible when they are engaged.
This can be achieved in about a million ways. For example, we sometimes door-knock, use social media, branded signage, and the MLS®. We’ve even hung out on the street corner with a big arrow saying “DONUTS ⇒”.
With your more limited (or different) assets, how do YOU plan to get the word out? Hint: Be creative and SPEND MONEY!! Selling your home yourself is kind of like being a new REALTOR®: You’re going to want to be a very energetic, creative, marketing-lover to get people in the door.
2) A True Open House Event
This is the easy bit. Take people’s breath away with your home AND your professionalism!
Most members of the public will be nervous about getting into a purchase contract with you, and most will have REALTORS®, so you’ll want to engage and appeal them too, in my opinion.
Remember, that you’re not just selling the home. In many ways, that’s actually second. You are selling yourself as someone that a prospective buyer can trust, and who they want to do business with. People don’t tend to buy homes from people they don’t like, so be nice.
Don’t be desperate though! Tough balance, right?
3) Preparing Your Home For Sale
Check out tomorrow’s blog on this. To receive an email notification when it’s published, simply sign up for our newsletter!
4) Timing
Finally, the answer you’ve been waiting for…
2-4pm on a Saturday
We’ve held hundreds of open houses and that’s the best time in Fort McMurray. Hands down. We’ve tried literally everything.
Unless you are trying to sell a condo, in which case...don’t bother because open houses don’t work. In fact, if you have success with one, please contact us because we might want to hire you.
Summary
Selling your home is kind of like...well...a full-time job.
If it seems daunting, or if you don’t get the desired results yourself, please feel free to reach out to us. We have specialist listing agents who will give you all the info you need, without pressure, and IF you choose to list your home at some point, they’ll look after you like a family member. They are marketing EXPERTS and everyone at our team loves helping people. :)
Thanks for reading and sharing!