Open House

Me on my Open House for selling exclusive listing in Bukit Rimau, Kota Kemuning on 2016

Open houses are a long-standing tradition in the sale of residential real estate to expose more people to a home for sale. Open houses are normally held on weekends to capture more traffic because most people are off work on weekends. The real estate agents put out signs on boulevards or near street corners to draw drive-by traffic and usually list the homes in the real estate sections of newspapers to bring in more people.

Considerations

A real estate agent often suggests to his clients that they open their home up for an open house if the agent thinks that inviting the public to tour the home will help sell it. The need for open houses has slowed because so many tools for showing homes are available online. People can watch movies and slide shows and view photographs of homes online. However convenient the Internet tools are, seeing is believing and people still attend open houses, so the tradition continues.

My Team Open House in Country Heights, Kajang on 2015

Agent Preparation fo the Open House

Before the open house is held, real estate agents may list the home in the want ads of the local newspaper, put a notice of the open house on their website or on sites where the home is listed online, and put up signs in the neighborhood to alert passing drivers to the open house. Real estate agents sometimes put balloons on these metal signs to catch even more eyes to stimulate greater traffic for the event. The agents also bring bottled water and cookies and other snacks for their guests. The agents prepare a fact sheet for people to take with them that includes the details of the home, the neighborhood, and may even give school district information like testing scores and budget per pupil.

Seller Responsibilities

Before the open house, the sellers need to clean the house, remove the clutter, and clean the patios or yard. Some people add potted flowers by the front door to improve the appearance of the front of the house or they buy fresh flowers to put on a coffee table or dining room table. Sellers also need to evaluate the things to hide. They may have valuables that they do not want the public to see or find by securing them at a friend or family home during the open house.

During the Open House

As the day progresses, the real estate agent will show the home to people who come. She will point out the advantages of the home and its selling points. She will make sure that the visitors who are interested in the home take the fact sheet along with them and her business card. The agent may also require that the people who tour the home have to fill out a form so she can follow up with them later.

Alternatives to Open Houses

If the agent suggests an open house, the sellers do not have to agree to hold it because of personal or practical reasons. Sellers who prefer not to have the public touring their home can select another option called a broker open house. Real estate agents invite other agents and brokers to bring their clients to tour the house. This type of open house weeds out people who are just curious about a home and brings in just serious buyers.