When you're selling your Scarborough home or condo, I will suggest a number of ways to market your property. I have found that a well-presented Open House is an excellent way to generate a great deal of interest in a property. Yes, many of your neighbours may jump at the chance to be a little nosy, to see what you've done in your home, how you've decorated. But this is actually a positive - if your neighbours like the neighbourhood, they will tell their friends about the fabulous house that's just come on the market. Word-of mouth marketing is particularly powerful and can help get your house SOLD.
Here are four steps to a successful open house.
Four Steps to a Successful Open House
The first three steps are planning, promotion and presentation. Once you've done all that, the only step remaining is to trust your agent to run the open house, and hope for good weather!
1. Plan Your Open House
As with most things in real estate, planning is critical to your success. Check your calendar and pick a date that won't conflict with other events that could divert your potential visitors. You won't get many home browsers on Super Bowl Sunday or Mother's Day! Ask me for advice on how to showcase your home to its best advantage.
Remember, when it comes to showing appeal, less is more. You want to create an atmosphere of spaciousness. Get rid of the clutter to maximize your space. Have a garage sale, empty the closets and take the time to give those things away to charity. Besides making your home look great for showing, it'll give you less to do on moving day.
Remember that a home that looks well-kept will create a favourable impression. Make sure you cut the grass or shovel the sidewalk as the season requires. Plan on doing a little spot painting to perk up problem areas, oil squeaking hinges, tighten loose screws, and all the other little things that show a home is cared for.
2. Promote Your Open House
Then it's time to start promoting. I will advise you as to what marketing techniques will be used to promote your open house event. I will normally use direct mail, flyers in the neighbourhood, newspaper advertising in the Scarborough Mirror and website promotion. However, you can add to the impact, and help to generate more traffic, by partnering in the promotion. Post notices on bulletin boards in supermarkets, libraries or community centres. Any way that you can spread the word will add to the open house excitement. And remember to tell your friends and co-workers!
3. Present Your Open House
For your Open House day, I will counsel you on how to present your Scarborough home to its best advantage. Leaving on all the lights, having a fire burning in the fireplace, soft background music playing, and coffee brewing all add to the ambience and make a welcoming impression.
4. Let Your Agent Run Your Open House
But as any agent will tell you, the best thing that you can do to make your open house a success is to get out and stay out! You'll get better results when your visitors feel free to wander at will, linger, and ask very direct questions of your real estate agent.
If you're at home, open house visitors will feel more constrained. Your agent may not get an opportunity to identify concerns they may have, and to offer them options and solutions. So pack up the dog and the kids, and enjoy your day away. Trust your agent to do the job right, and with your help, hold a successful open house for your Scarborough home or condo.
