Open House Dos and Don’ts

Open houses have been time tested and proven to be one of the absolutely best ways to effectively market and sell homes. If you are attempting to sell your home by yourself without the assistance of a professional real estate agent then you need to keep a few essential open house dos and don’ts in mind to really make your open house successful.

Your list of open house dos and don’ts should include the following:

Dos

• Do create as much interest as possible before your open house and make sure you are completely prepared.

• Do try and make your open house visitors as comfortable as possible; think about serving snacks and refreshments.

• Do make sure you have printed flyers for potential buyers to take with them.

• Do make sure you have a guest log to record everyone who comes into your home.

• Do have available as much detailed information as possible, you should be able to get information on area schools, demographics, business and more online for free that you can print out.

• Do let your neighbors know about your open house plans, hopefully they will cooperate and not be throwing wild drunken parties at the same time.

Don’ts

• Don’t be pushy and try to hard sell visitors, you may come across as being too desperate.

• Don’t make any on the spot commitments or sign agreements without taking the time to discuss and think it over.

• Don’t leave any valuables laying around your home.

• Don’t leave pets loose, however cute you may find them they may put off otherwise interested buyers.

• Don’t make any guarantees or warranties you are unsure of.

• Don’t give out to many personal details to strangers or details of your routine, as open houses can be opportunities for burglars to case homes.