Tips to help sellers host a successful open house

Quick insights

• Hosting an open house provides an opportunity for interested parties to look around, ask questions and feel inspired by the home (ideally, leading to an offer).
• Preparing for an open house as a seller entails cleaning, decluttering, decorating and promoting the event to attract potential buyers.
• On the day-of, be sure to secure valuables and prepare to answer any questions related to the home, including essentials like square footage and build year.

If you’re planning to sell your home, hosting an open house can be a great way to create buzz and find the perfect buyer. The event provides an opportunity for interested parties to peruse the home, ask questions and get a feel for the space. A successful open house has many attendees, including those who are just casually curious—you never know where the right lead could come from!

In this article, we’ll provide open house tips for sellers that walk through the steps from preparing your home, from staging and marketing to hosting and following up.

1. Cleanup and repairs

The first step in preparing for an open house as a seller is to make repairs, declutter and deep-clean the home. This will help the home look its best for visitors and allow for different staging choices.

• Declutter: Personal items and clutter should be packed away, including family photos and excess furniture. If you’re still living there, try to keep only the essentials out. This can help the home feel more spacious and make it easier for visitors to picture themselves living there.
• Deep clean: Cleaning for an open house should include the works, including carpets, trim and windows—anything that may be overlooked in everyday cleaning. Professional cleaners can be a great help and worthwhile investment for this task.
• Address minor repairs: Small adjustments around the home, such as repairing a leaky faucet or replacing burnt-out bulb, may make big differences in terms of how your home appears to others. Prioritize fixing the problems that are easiest to spot.

2. Staging your home

To sell your home, you’ll want to “stage it,” which is the industry term for “dressing it up.” This involves making various aesthetic changes to the space, as if it’s going to be in a magazine or TV show.

• Furniture placement: Once decluttering is complete, you may find that the arrangement of your furniture could use some adjustment. Consider the flow as you walk from room to room and make tweaks to address any areas of congestion.
• Consider curb appeal: How will your home look as people approach it? First impressions matter. Step outside and see what stands out. You may want to mow the lawn, replace wimpy shrubs with bright flowers or repaint the door.
• Get a second opinion: A second pair of eyes can help you spot things you miss. An honest friend can be a great asset. If you’re working with a professional listing agent, you can probably get some experienced real estate agent open house tips from them.

3. Marketing and promotion

When repairs, cleaning and staging are complete, you’ll want to take some great photos to use in promotion for your open house on social media and in print materials.

• High-quality photos and virtual tours: Professional photography can be a critical investment in the home selling process, for both the open house and any online listings you’ll use to sell it. The right angles, lighting and image quality can  significantly increase your home’s appeal.
• Utilize social media and online listings: Once you’ve set a date and time for your open house, you can share the details on social media and real estate websites for a broader reach.
• Signage and neighborhood flyers: It can be helpful to announce your open house to the neighborhood with strategically placed signs, door hangers and flyers. You might be surprised how many people want to move but don’t want to leave their neighborhoods.
• Create a brochure: Besides digital and printed materials, you may want to create a brochure or hand-out with property information. It can be passed out as potential buyers enter your open house.

Bonus tip for a successful open house: Extend the invite to friends and neighbors even if they aren’t specifically looking to buy a home. Let them know that they’re welcome if only just to say hello. , They could help generate some word of mouth, and greater attendance may intrigue potential buyers.

4. During the open house

The night before the open house, conduct a final once-over to prepare and try to rest, so you’re feeling your best. On the day of, you’ll be playing host.

• Create a secure environment: Ensure your home is welcoming and safe by storing valuables, allowing visitors to focus on the beauty of your home.
• Secure pets: While pets bring joy, making sure they are comfortably secured during the open house can help create a serene and inviting atmosphere for all visitors.
• Set the mood: Much like any other kind of gathering, you’ll want to create a welcoming atmosphere. You can do this with soft music playing in the background, mood lighting and even welcoming, neutral aromas. If you like, you can offer light refreshments to visitors to help them feel at ease.
• Answer questions: Prepare to be the expert of your home. Know your details and be ready to share them, including square footage, build year, number of bedrooms, recent repairs and updates. If you’re not going to attend, try to be sure someone else can field potential questions.

5. Follow-up strategies

In a best-case scenario, you’ll quickly get offers on your home. However, many people will need time to think about it, or they may miss their opportunity to ask questions during the event itself. Following up with anyone who showed an interest in your home could be helpful.

• Gather feedback: Consider setting up comment cards or digital surveys to collect feedback. In some cases, a seller may host multiple open houses or continue to market their home online; feedback about what visitors liked and disliked can help with continued adjustments.
• Prompt follow-up: Be prepared to contact interested parties within 24-48 hours to maintain momentum and address any additional questions that they have.
• Evaluate and adjust: Review feedback and adjust your strategy for future showings if necessary. For example, if multiple visitors comment on the outdated kitchen, consider minor updates.

In conclusion

Even if you’re already a natural host, it can be a bit intimidating to invite people into your home for an open house as a seller. Preparing  may help you feel more confident and increase your chances of having a successful open house. And when you’re ready to buy your next home, consider connecting with a Chase Home Lending Advisor who can help make the process easier.