So, you have decided to put your house up for sale and you are looking for eager buyers because you want the sale to be fast and highly profitable, how do you find them?
Well, instead of working to find these customers, you can employ certain strategies that will bring them to you. The trick is to know what your customers look for when they come for an open house and put those things in place. It is important you create a good first impression as over 76% of your buyers make purchase decisions based on first impressions, while 72% spread the word about the products to their friends and family.
With this in mind, your aim as a property seller will be to seal that deal on first impression during an open house. For that to be possible, you need to maximise the impact of the open house either through renovation or staging. As a property seller, this article will walk you through pre-open house preparation, open house day magic and post-open house follow-up.
Pre-Open House Preparation
- Declutter and Depersonalise
- Deep Clean and Spruce Up
- Staging Savvy
01. Declutter and Depersonalise
You cannot hope to attract eager buyers and you welcome them into a cluttered space during open day. For instance, you are a mum/dad and you have your children’s toys scattered all over the sitting room during open day. Having a cluttered space will obstruct your potential customers from moving around the house and seeing the space properly which then makes them lose vision of themselves living in the property.
To declutter each room, you can put things away into storage spaces instead of leaving them lying around and you can easily rearrange your furniture to give an illusion of enlarged space in the room. Since you are trying to sell the home, you wouldn’t want your potential customers to think that you are never leaving because of how settled in you still are. Hence, it is advisable to remove personal items such as bought artwork and family photos while still creating a welcoming space.
02. Deep Clean and Spruce Up
If you aim to create a good first impression, then the property and its surroundings must be squeaky clean. The cleanliness ensures that your clients feel immediately comfortable when they enter to inspect the house.
If you cannot do such rigorous deep cleaning, then you can hire the services of a cleaning agency that specialises in deep cleaning. Attention must be paid to fixtures, windows, floors, etc because those are the places where customers will pay attention to while inspecting. Before the open day may be a good time to repair minor domestic issues around the house. Some minor problems that will need repairs include leaky faucets, electrical issues, chipped paint, landscape issues, etc,
03. Staging Savvy
This is a trick most property sellers use to enhance the sale of their property. It involves hiring a professional interior home decorator to rearrange your home into a picture-worthy format. Of course, it will cost you some money but it has always been known to be a worthy investment because it speeds up the rate at which your potential customers make buying decisions.
Open House Day Magic
On the open day, what are the things you should do as a property agent? Well, still on first impressions, you need to ensure that your garden is tidied up and your walkway is looking neat.
You can trim overgrown plants, power wash the exterior, plant fresh flowers, invest in pot plants, tidy your composite decking board, remove cobwebs, repaint the entrance, etc. Aside from improving the curb appeal of your property, you need to invest in strategic lighting to create a warm and inviting atmosphere. You can use the natural light to your advantage or you can invest in artificial lighting that achieves the same purpose.
Every home has a scent, and if you assume that the scent your potential customers want to perceive is artificial air fresheners, then your assumption is wrong. Your customers would prefer pleasant scents that remind them of home such as the scent of baked goods, essential oils, delicious meals, etc. Sometimes, most homeowners leave the sale of the home to agents and remain completely invisible. However, if you wish to be around during the open day then you must adopt a friendly and approachable demeanor. You can start by engaging your potential buyers through conversation starters such as asking them questions about what they do and why they want to buy the house.
You can also educate them on the unique features that make the property stand out and share the benefits you enjoyed while living in the property. Be prepared to answer any question that they might have about the house such as its surroundings, school catchment area, where to go grocery shopping, neighbourhood amenities, etc.
Post-Open House Follow-Up
After the open house day, if you don’t yet have a customer put a down offer on the house, then you must employ certain strategies to hasten the customer’s decision. First, you have to send appreciation messages thanking them for sparing time to attend. In your appreciation message, you can remind them of your strongest reasons why the house is the best decision for them.
You can ask attendees for both positive and negative feedback so that you can pick ideas from them to improve your marketing strategy. You must expect negotiation from your customers, so to avoid being underpriced, mention a price higher than the price you are willing to sell for. This way when your customers negotiate, they will mention a price closer to what you intended to sell the property.
Conclusion
The steps you take during all the stages of an open house – before, during and after – are extremely important as they can have a positive impact on the sale of the house. You can contact a local estate agent if you need expert advice on how to prepare for your open house optimisation and sell your property.