Should I Have An Open House?

Best Time and Advertising Ideas

Why should I have an open house to sell my home for sale by owner, is the first subject we will cover on this page.

Not only will we cover the why, but also when is the best time to do an open house and when and where to advertise my open house for sale by owner.

Firstly, I Highly recommend that you have some weekend open houses when you are for sale by owner.

Why should I have an open house? Two good reasons are:

• Eliminate Buyer Fear

• Springboard Effect

Eliminate Buyer Fear

One reason to have an open house weekend is to eliminate “buyer fear”.

When a potential buyer of your home has to call you and set up a private viewing there are some who will hesitate. They may even talk themselves out of viewing your property.

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Below are some links to other pages about having an open house you can check out now, or after you finish this page.

What to have and not have at Open House

What to say and not to say to buyers at an open house

Preparing and showing a home during an open house

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The open house weekend viewings eliminates this problem. Now the buyer can view your house and property in comfort and ease.

There is no pressure. Think about it. You opened the home up for viewing. They feel no obligation to you.

The very buyer you are looking for, might just show up at your weekend open house because they didn't have to make that private viewing call.

Springboard Effect

Where are the Real Estate Agents?

Many real estate agents do an open house weekend. The day and time varies depending mostly on where you live. Some do more Saturdays, some Sundays, or both.

What is the best day for an open house when for sale by owner?

You make the choice depending on your competition. This is the time you follow what the real estate agents do. If they do all or most of their open houses on Saturday, go with Saturday. If Sunday's, follow suit. If 50/50 you should consider doing both days.

What is the best time of day for an open house when selling a home for sale by owner?

If the real estate agents are out there between 2:00-4:00 pm follow suit. You may even want to stretch both ends. What I mean by that, is have your open house from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

When a real estate agent is doing an open, the buyers they are working with are on their own. Many of these buyers will take advantage and scout out homes that might be of interest to them. This is one great answer to the question, "Why should I have an open house to sell for sale by owner?"

They will circle weekend open house ads that are of interest to them and go out for a look.

What happens if they find your property the perfect match? They may just buy direct from you, or go back to their agent and tell them about the home they found. If there is a real estate agent doing an open house in your neighborhood so much the better.

Make sure you put your directional signs so when a buyer sees the real estate agent's sign, they also see yours. If there is an open house on your street even better!

This is what I call the springboard effect. You take advantage of the real estate agents doing a weekend open house to lead those same buyers to your property.

Think about what you would do. You are looking at homes in a certain area and you see a directional sign in the same neighborhood pointing to another home.

I know my wife and I could not resist the temptation to go have a peek!

Where do I advertise my open house for sale by owner?

Here are some ideas on where to advertise my open house for sale by owner for maximum exposure.

• The Local Newspaper

• Your Web-Site

• At your place of work

• Bulletin Boards at the local supermarket with permission

• On your yard sign for the full week before the big event. (Open House This Saturday and Sunday 2:00-4:00) for example

• Print up flyers and distribute in your neighborhood or in a “target” neighborhood.

When it comes to how do I advertise my open house for sale by owner, use your imagination. Write down any ideas that come to mind. Prepare your property for showings in exactly the same way you prepare it for Individual Viewings.

You should have your Directional Signs in place to guide people from main street arteries to your home.

Where can I advertise my open house for sale by owner using signs?

In most cities and towns that I'm familiar with, putting a directional sign on city property for a couple hours for an open house weekend, is OK. Make sure you remove them all when completed.

Place a sign in front of your property that is clearly visible from all directions.

Should I have an Open House?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

With an open house weekend, you will have the curious neighbors, the real estate agents, and the decor idea seeking folks. You will also have genuine buyers seeking a new home to live in.

I'd like to make a confession here. Every time any of our neighbors in our general area puts their property up for sale, my wife and I go for a look when they do their first open house. :-)

Remember your ad for a weekend open house follows the same rule as every ad you place. Always include the price, the address and your phone number. I have actually seen open house ads without the address!

While we are on the subject, the price should also be on the sign so you don't have buyers coming through your home that can't afford to buy your home.

You Can't and Won't Win Them All

Keep in mind that you need one qualified buyer. ONE. That's all! Don't worry about people going in and out the door without showing interest. Relax. Keep a smile and watch and listen. Separate the lookers and the potential buyers.

Don't try to "sell my house" to everyone on an open house weekend. It's a numbers game and it's all about exposure, exposure exposure. Pure and simple.

For More Information about Open Houses

Please select any of the thumbnail photo links near the top of this page.

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