Open House?
Why conduct an open home?
As more and more people are purchasing property without stepping into a real estate office, opening your home for inspection is a must.
Open homes are often the first opportunity your agent has to directly sell your property to potential buyers, gauge the level of interest in your property and to negotiate with potential buyers. Remember, the easier you make it for buyers to see your home and the more times they view it, the more likely they are to buy it!
The general consensus among agents is that half an hour is the optimum time to conduct an open home. This ensures that you are likely to have more than one group of buyers there at a time. This promotes competition and action as viewers realise that others could also be interested in the property.
How often you open your home depends on your area. The most common arrangement for urban homes is to open once every weekend prior to auction and once every weekend for those selling through an exclusive agency. Even if only two groups of people attend your open home, that is two more groups than you would have if you left your agent sitting in the office waiting for someone to walk in and enquire about your property.
For those whose primary concern is simply to maintain privacy, open homes may not be the best policy; but for those who want to achieve the highest possible price in the shortest possible time, open homes are a must.
For a few tips on how to make your home as welcoming and enticing as it can be during open home go to Preparing for Sale.
