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<\/a>Tip #1: Leave the house<\/b><\/h2>\n
You\u2019re going to get your house cleaner and looking better than ever, for maybe a larger group of people than have ever been in your home at one time. After all that\u2014and it\u2019s going to feel counterintuitive\u2014the customary thing for sellers to do is leave for the duration of the open house.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell my sellers not to be home during the open house,\u201d said Marla Yost<\/a>, a top real estate agent in Arlington, TX<\/a>, a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb. \u201cI want buyers to start envisioning themselves in the home, which is difficult to do when the current owner is hovering in the background.\u201d<\/p>\n Buyers won\u2019t feel comfortable voicing their true opinion of your house while you\u2019re there. If you think about it, you\u2019re also a little too close to the \u201cproduct,\u201d in this case\u2014your house\u2014that\u2019s up for sale.<\/p>\n Despite your best attempts to help out, it\u2019s not easy for any homeowner to hear criticism about the house they\u2019ve just diligently fixed up and prepared for the market. The risk is that you could go overboard trying to show off your house or get defensive while buyers are there, which could signal that you\u2019ll be difficult to work with throughout escrow (even if you had every good intention!)<\/p>\n Wondering how your open house is going? No matter how curious you are, don\u2019t give in to temptation and drop in on the party.<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019d like to play the \u201cI forgot my phone\u201d card, or perhaps you pose as \u201cbuyers\u201d to attend your own open house. It\u2019s natural to want to be in control. But think of it like a project at work: this is your chance to delegate!<\/p>\n Your agent will invest a lot of time, energy, and expense into hosting this shindig with the sole purpose of finding the best buyer for your house. Let \u2018em do their thing. Plan something that will get you out of the house for the duration of the event and even a little after, in case interested buyers stay and ask questions (signs that they could be serious about the house).<\/p>\n Play it safe and wait for your agent to give you the green light to return via a text or call.<\/p>\n Not everyone is a dog person or a cat person, plus you don\u2019t know how your pets will act around strangers or if they\u2019d be anxious with all the foot traffic. Removing them from the house is best for their well-being, too.<\/p>\n To keep it neutral you should also put away any pet paraphernalia like food bowls, crates, cat condos, and baskets of toys.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t leave any cars in the driveway, and don\u2019t park them on the street in front of the house, either,\u201d advises Yost. \u201cIt looks tacky and makes buyers a little nervous that the seller might be attending the open house.\u201d<\/p>\n Cars left at home during the open house are also taking up valuable space, which may make it so buyers have to park and walk a ways to attend your event. Plus, buyers care about space both inside and out, so extra cars subconsciously send the message that your house doesn\u2019t provide enough parking.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got vehicles that you won\u2019t be driving while you\u2019re out during the open house, either park them down the street or in the garage with the door closed. Simple as that.<\/p>\n All good hosts know that you need to give your home a thorough cleaning<\/a> before a party. They know to tuck clutter out of sight<\/a>, too, including clearing kitchen counters, hiding bathroom toiletries, and stashing away personal paperwork and data.<\/p>\n However, when it\u2019s your home that\u2019s on display, good open house etiquette requires going the extra mile to create a welcoming ambiance before heading out the door.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want your home to feel welcoming, so open up all the blinds, turn on the lights, keep it at a comfortable temperature and use your ceiling fans,\u201d says Yost.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s your absentee host pre-party prep checklist:<\/p>\n When you take care of little details like these before leaving, you give your agent the gift of more time to focus on the marketing materials that help your house sell.<\/p>\n Nothing kills a party vibe faster than an irate neighbor showing up to complain, especially when the guests are considering moving into the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s the noise\u2026 Or the cars stealing their street parking\u2026 Or even a careless guest cutting across their lawn\u2026.<\/p>\n Almost all of the reasons why your neighbors might become annoyed by your open house can be avoided simply by giving them all a heads-up before the event. And that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n Curiosity will probably draw your neighbors inside your home during the open house anyway, so why not send a formal invite. With an invitation in hand, your neighbors won\u2019t just sneak in for a quick look, they\u2019ll come hang out for a while.<\/p>\n OK, so maybe they\u2019ll just stay for the free food and snooping, but their presence will give energy to the party. More people at the party tells buyers that interest in your house is high, suggesting that they\u2019ll need to make a great offer fast if they want your house.<\/p>\n Plus, the invite is your opening to ask your neighbor to do a little prep for your party, too. It\u2019s easier to ask your neighbor to shut off her sprinklers that hit your walkway, or to trim back his tree overhanging your backyard, if it\u2019s for a party that they\u2019ll be attending.<\/p>\n Speaking of free food, it\u2019s only free for the guests. In most cases, it\u2019s your agent who\u2019s paying for any refreshments served during your open house\u2014unless you offer to contribute.<\/p>\n By sharing the refreshment expense with your agent, you can increase both the quantity and quality of the food and drinks.<\/p>\n For example, instead of just juice, water and a cookie tray, together you can splurge on wine, cheese, and small bite appetizers in the kitchen. And out back on the patio, you can put a cucumber water and lemonade station to encourage buyers and their brokers to linger and discuss putting in an offer after they\u2019ve walked through the house.<\/p>\n Plus, paying for a portion of the refreshments means you\u2019ll have a say in what gets served. Instead of worrying about red wine stains, offer to buy a case of white wine only instead.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you don\u2019t have to spend any money to make a contribution. It\u2019s enough to offer your agent the use of items like your ice chests, serving platters, and beverage dispenser with infuser<\/a>, so that they don\u2019t have to lug their own into your house.<\/p>\n You might even offer to bake up some homemade treats with items you already have in your pantry (and want to use up before you move). Your agent can even use the fact that they were baked in your \u201cchef\u2019s kitchen\u201d as a selling point for your home.<\/p>\n While you don\u2019t need to go crazy making specialty items like gluten-free treats, do steer clear of any baked goods that could trigger an allergic reaction, like peanut butter cookies.<\/p>\n Refreshments are fleeting, so it\u2019s a good idea to offer your prospective buyers an extra special treat that they can take to help them\u2014like a goodie bag.<\/p>\n Just like children enjoy goodie bags after a great birthday party, a goodie bag will help buyers remember your home after a long day of touring open houses.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t stuff your bags with toy aisle dollar store finds like you would with kids, but throw in a few marketing materials that highlight your house, plus a few coupons and samples from neighborhood businesses.<\/p>\n Remember, buyers aren\u2019t just evaluating your house, they\u2019re interested in your neighborhood, too\u2014but they may not have done much research on it yet. A grown-up goodie bag is your opportunity to showcase your neighborhood as a selling point.<\/p>\n For example, pack up one-cup samples of grounds from your favorite mom-n-pop coffeehouse, coupons from your favorite local restaurant, or even shampoo samples from your local hair salon\u2014all with business cards attached. The businesses will appreciate the free advertising and may even provide free samples.<\/p>\n Ask your agent to give these gifts out to only the most serious buyers. If there\u2019s any leftover, keep them on hand as takeaway for buyers who arrange private showings.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, how did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s only human nature to want to pick up the phone and ask your agent this question the minute your open house ends.<\/p>\n The problem is, your agent probably doesn\u2019t know yet. Sure, they can give you the lowdown on how many people stopped by, and even how long buyers spent looking your house over\u2014but that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n Buyers and their brokers may not be quite so shy about sharing their true thoughts about how well the house suits them when you\u2019re not around\u2014but they probably won\u2019t be brutally honest in front of the agent repping the house, either.<\/p>\n It takes time and legwork for your agent to reach out to all the brokers that stopped by to get their clients\u2019 real reactions.<\/p>\n While grilling your agent for buyer feedback immediately after the open house won\u2019t get you the info you crave, comment cards might just do the trick.<\/p>\n \u201cWe provide comment cards for potential buyers at our open houses to get that immediate feedback,\u201d says Yost.<\/p>\n Comment cards allow the buyer to point out the flaws that they didn\u2019t like about your house, without having to say it to your agent\u2019s face.<\/p>\n While you may not always like what you read\u2014at least you\u2019ll have an instant idea on how the market is responding to your house.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve hired a top agent<\/a> to sell your house, sending out thank you cards<\/a> after the open house is likely part of their marketing strategy already\u2014but it doesn\u2019t hurt to ask about it. Some agents will go so far as to print up unique thank you cards that feature a photo of your house, the pertinent details (square footage, room numbers, lot size, etc.), and their contact info.<\/p>\n Every contact your agent makes with a buyer\u2019s agent might just be the one that helps your home sell. If a broker\u2019s buyer is on the fence about which house to put an offer on, that thank you might be just the reminder they both need to recall the highlights of your house.<\/p>\n It may seem crazy to think about etiquette for a party that you won\u2019t be attending.<\/p>\n Yet a seller can either make the open house awkward or help it succeed. Follow these etiquette tips and work with your agent as a silent party-planning partner, and you can\u2019t go wrong.<\/p>\n Header Image Source: (Artazum\/ Shutterstock)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Open house etiquette for sellers is pretty straightforward. No fancy dress code or napkin folding required. Just take the following advice from top agents. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":12010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[321,244],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attract-buyers","category-open-houses"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTip #2: No sneaky \u2018drop-ins\u2019<\/h2>\n
Tip #3: Take your pets out of the house<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Tip #4: Remove cars from the driveway<\/h2>\n
Tip #5: Take ownership of the house prep<\/h2>\n
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Tip #6: Invite your neighbors to the open house<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Tip #7: Offer to make contributions to the party<\/h2>\n
Tip #8: Pass out grown-up goodie bags to prospective buyers<\/h2>\n
Tip #9: Provide comment cards for instant feedback<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Tip #10: Send out \u201cThanks for Coming\u201d cards<\/h2>\n
Etiquette for the absentee party host<\/h3>\n