So you have decided to have a crack at selling your own home. If you prefer not to hire an estate agent to take care of this for you it is important to make sure you prepare, market and show your home properly and do the correct research needed.
Here are a few steps to follow to ensure you have a successful open house:
Check out your competition
Visit open houses that are similar to yours. Try to attend viewings listed by low commission real estate agents and take note of how they act. Check out how others have staged the home for open house day and listen to what the estate agents are saying to the potential buyers. Real estate agents know what buyers are looking for in today’s market so take note of things they say and what features they make know to the buyers.
Prepare your description sheet
You will notice at open houses the real estate will hand out a description sheet to each person who comes to the open day. Take one from a previous open house you visit and take note of things they include such as:
- Property address
- Your asking price
- Your email and phone number
- A description of the home
- Photos of both interior and exterior
- Number of bedrooms and bathroom
- Appliances the home will come with such as dishwasher or spa
- Special features, basement, attic, fireplace, patio
- Upgrades that have been completed
- School and shopping amenities that are close by
Staging the home:
This is the process where you declutter everything, remove all personal items and rearrange furniture to make rooms appear larger, add more lights to the room and add some nice décor pieces.
Fix anything that is broken, clean as best as you can make updates to what buyers may be looking for.
Advertising:
You are more well-connected to people than you may realise. Tell friends, family and people in your neighbourhood about the home you are advertising and use all methods of communication available to you such as phone, fax, email, social media, notice boards, workplace flyers etc.
Be a good host:
When you are selling your home yourself buyers want to be direct with you. Keep a professional attitude. When they arrive, show them features and give them a very brief tour of the home, then allow them to wander around on their own and discuss things in private with each other. Let the visitors know you are around if they have any questions then leave them to look around themselves.
Follow up:
Send a thank you email to people who provided you with their contact details and ask if they had any questions about the home without sounding pushy and pressuring them to hurry and purchase the home.
If people let you know the home wasn’t what they were looking for thank them and then ask what they believe you could have improved on and ask for any suggestions. There is nothing better than getting feedback from the potential buyers themselves.
Good luck and ensure you do your research before conducting an open house for the best result of a successful open house.
