6 hints for selling thanks to an open house

Holding an effective open house is part of a good selling strategy. It can be a great tool for finding a buyer for your home.

Here are 6 hints for making your open house a selling opportunity:

1. Make it an event

Think of putting your house on the market as the launch of a new product! The open house then serves as your “press conference.” So let people know about it!  

Install signs (red “Open house” add-on and directional signs) in your neighbourhood and promote your event in your listing on DuProprio website. The key is to attract as many potential buyers as possible.

2. Plan your open house at the right time 

If you’re holding an open house every Saturday, then it’s no longer a special event. Instead, organize one for the weekend after you post your listing and invite your first potential buyers to drop by. You can also hold an open house at other opportune times, like the start of the New Year or during the back-to-school period.

Visitors should be able to see that people are interested in your home: that creates a feeling of urgency. Ideally, plan your open house for a Sunday afternoon and limit it to a few hours (1 to 4 pm, for example). If later on you decide to reduce your property’s selling price or if you do some renovations, you can hold another open house.

3. Show your home in its best light 

Your home has to absolutely charm visitors. End of story. So, make sure everything is spic and span, inside and out!

4. Prepare useful documents 

It’s very likely that visitors will ask questions about your property. (E.g.: How much are your municipal taxes? Have you done any renovations recently?) Be sure you know the answers to these types of questions. Gather as much useful information about your property as you can, print out some Offer to Purchase forms and have everything handy during the open house.

5. Keep a log of visitors 

Visitors are potential buyers. Take down their contact info so they don’t just leave without giving you any feedback. After the visit, follow-up with them, but without pressuring them. Ask if they have any questions, if they want to submit an offer to purchase and if they have any comments about the property. This is a basic sales technique.

6. Distribute printed listings

At the end of your visits, give a printed listing to your potential buyers. This custom sheet can be found through your My DuProprio account. It contains a full description of your property along with photos and your contact info. It gives your buyers all the information they need to inform their decision-making.