Are you selling your home in Crestview, Austin, and wondering if hosting an open house would be a good option for you? Open houses can usually be beneficial in bringing in more prospective buyers and offers — if they are done right. Read on for six easy tips on how to have a successful open house for your home in the Crestview neighborhood in Austin, TX!
1. Prep your home for staging
The key to a successful open house lies in how it is presented, so you need to prep your home for staging. When you stage your home, buyers can better visualize their future lives as they walk through the house, examining every nook and cranny. Remember, home buyers will be given relatively free rein to wander, so consider packing your valuables, such as jewelry, exercise equipment, and collectibles. You might want to remove family photographs, extra clothes and shoes, kids’ toys, pet accessories, small kitchen appliances, books, and other knick-knacks. After decluttering, you need to clean your home so that every surface and countertop shines. Then, you can rearrange the furniture and add decor items to create a beautiful Crestview home that is ready for buyers! You can also expect to sell for 25% more just by staging your home!
2. Timing matters
No matter how elegant and enchanting Crestview homes for sale appear, it would not matter if interested home buyers are not able to attend. If you schedule the open house during a time when many prospective buyers are at work or during a local event, you are less likely to get any buyers to stop by. That is why you need to be strategic in timing. Consider factors such as holidays, local events, and weather when scheduling your open house. Usually, the best days to host an open house are on the weekends when buyers have more time and flexibility. On the weekends, the hours between 1-4 p.m. are ideal, as it allows many home buyers to stop by before or after running errands. If you would rather host an open house on the weekday, you have to be mindful of work schedules, so consider hosting between 5-7 p.m. when many home buyers can stop by after getting off work and picking up their kids from school. Ultimately, choose a small time frame on an ordinary day when home buyers do not have work or are getting off work. Also, check the weather report and schedule the open house on a bright and sunny day when home buyers are more likely to step outside!
3. Marketing matters, too
It is not likely that droves of people will show up if they do not even know that you are hosting an open house. It would help if you executed marketing strategies to ensure that many people would stop by. Fortunately, many options exist, from using social media platforms to printing out flyers. With 97% of homebuyers using the Internet in their home search, you must list the open house details on the relevant social media platforms.
For example, consider posting the date and time on the social media page for your Crestview home. Your Crestview real estate agent could also post the open house details on their website, social media pages, the MLS listing, and any targeted email campaigns. Don’t forget to design flyers with a professional photograph of your home and relevant open house details. You can distribute the flyers to anyone walking, biking, or driving by the neighborhood. By implementing strong marketing tactics to spread the word, you can ensure that your open house will be successful!
4. Adding finishing touches
A few hours before your open house event, there are a few last-minute things to do. Before prospective buyers come, you should walk through your home, ensuring everything is in order. Consider straightening the photos and art on the walls and ensure that the countertops and tables are clean. Consider also baking a small batch of cookies right before the open house starts. When people start arriving, they will be greeted by the warm and captivating aroma of freshly baked cookies. You could leave a plate of cookies (along with some refreshments) for the homebuyers. Consider adding a fresh bouquet on the coffee and dining room tables. Finally, before walking out the door, open the curtains and turn on all the lights. Homes in Crestview tend to look best when natural light is allowed to stream in, making everything look captivating!
5. Stay away from your home
Sometimes, home buyers might not be comfortable when the seller is in the home. They might even feel they are being watched or intruding on someone else’s home. Home buyers might also not ask as many questions as they would like to with the seller present. That is why you should consider staying away from your home during the open house. Visit with a friend or run an errand while the open house is taking place. While you are gone, your experienced Crestview real estate agent will show your home to prospective buyers and answer all questions. Prospective buyers will feel at ease and might be more likely to make an offer on your home or schedule a private showing!
6. Consult your experienced real estate agent
Every luxury home is different. That is why you need to consult an experienced real estate agent who can guide you on everything from choosing the right time and day to staging your home for success. Furthermore, a real estate agent will be at the open house to greet prospective home buyers and answer questions about anything from the real estate market to the condition of your home. Your real estate agent can also schedule private showings with prospective buyers, so they can come back, browse the home privately, ask more questions, and even make an offer. Working with a real estate agent can ultimately help you have a successful open house, which could lead to many offers!
Joe & Cara Keenan are here for you
Want more open house tips for sellers? Are you interested in selling a home in Crestview? Then you need to schedule a consultation with real estate agents Joe & Cara Keenan, who can provide expert guidance on everything from best marketing tactics to the competitive real estate market. Joe and Cara can sell your luxury home quickly and for top dollar!