What is an open house?
An open house is an event where a home is offered for sale and interested buyers are given the opportunity to view the home without making an appointment in advance. The idea behind an open house is to provide potential buyers with an informal and relaxed opportunity to view the home and ask questions of the seller or real estate agent. Your real estate agent will arrange and supervise an open house day or you can do this yourself at the national open house day (twice a year).
Key features of an open house include:
1. No appointment necessary:
Unlike regular viewings, where buyers must make an appointment, during an open house they can simply walk in without contacting them in advance.
2. Flexibility:
The open house is usually scheduled for a specific period of time, often several hours during a weekend day. This gives potential buyers flexibility to visit within that time frame.
3. Informal atmosphere:
Open houses often have an informal atmosphere. People can walk around the house freely, take photos and set their own pace.
4. Opportunity for Interaction:
It allows potential buyers to ask questions directly to the seller or real estate agent. This can range from questions about the condition of the house to details about the neighborhood.
Open houses are often advertised through online sales platforms, real estate websites and local classifieds. They can be an effective way to reach multiple buyers at the same time and speed up the sales process.
And how does that work?
Here are the steps and general flow of how an open house works:
1. Preparation:
The seller or the real estate agent decides to organize an open house.
Date and time are determined. Often open houses take place for a few hours, usually on the weekend.
2. Promotion:
The open house details are being advertised. This can be done via online real estate platforms, real estate agents’ websites, local newspapers, flyers, social media and possibly signs at the home.
Listings contain information about the location, date, time and characteristics of the property.
3. Preparation of the home:
The seller ensures that the home is neat and tidy for the open house.
Important features of the home are highlighted. Informative brochures for visitors may be prepared.
4. During the open house:
Potential buyers can walk in without making an appointment.
A real estate agent or the seller is present to answer questions and provide information.
Visitors can walk around freely, take photos and get an impression of the house.
5. Interaction:
Visitors can ask questions about the house, the neighborhood, facilities, etc.
The agent can get valuable feedback on the reactions of potential buyers.
6. Follow up:
After the open house, the agent may contact interested buyers for further discussions or offers.
If there are no interested buyers, the seller may reconsider the strategy.
The purpose of an open house is to give potential buyers an opportunity to see the home and to promote the sale of the home. It is a marketing tool that is often effective in attracting buyers and generating interest in a home.
Benefits of an open house
For a seller, an open house has many advantages. It saves the seller a lot of time because several people can view the house in one day. When you participate in the national open house day, an additional advantage is that you can personally talk to potential buyers. You know the house better than anyone else and even better than the real estate agent: the perfect opportunity to positively influence the potential buyer.
Another advantage is that viewers perceive that there are many competing buyers walking around during the open house. It is generally known that interested parties must make a (high) offer on a certain day before a certain time in order to have a chance of obtaining the home.
The costs of an open house
If you participate in a local open house day, a real estate agent may vary open houses here. One broker will not charge anything for it and the other will charge an amount for advertisements, promotional material and presentation on Funda. These costs are usually invoiced directly.
Een goede voorbereiding is het halve werk
Je kunt maar 1 x een goede indruk maken, dat geldt niet alleen bij een sollicitatie maar ook bij de presentatie/verkoop van uw woning. Lees onderstaand suggesties eens door, wie weet helpt het!
1. Creëer een neutrale uitstraling. Haal persoonlijke spullen uit het zicht. Laat uw meubels staan, maar haal onnodige meubels en hebbedingetjes weg. U wilt niet dat het huis te vol staat. Zorg voor een neutrale en rustige sfeer, dat wel huiselijk en uitnodigend is.
2. Zorg ervoor dat uw woning licht en ruimtelijk oogt. Doe alle gordijnen open, verf de muren in lichte kleuren en doe alle lampen aan als het een bewolkte dag is.
3. Maak uw woning schoon en zorg ervoor dat het fris ruikt.
4. Verhelp kleine mankementen, zoals een klemmende deur en zorg ervoor dat de tuin er netjes uitziet.
5. Bezoekers komen het liefst een rustige woning binnen en willen geen afleiding. Heeft u kleine kinderen? Dan kunt u ze beter even wegbrengen.
6. Breng uw huisdieren tijdelijk ergens anders onder. Niet iedereen is er fan van en men kan er tevens allergisch voor zijn.
Op de dag zelf
Wees gastvrij en neem de tijd om bezoekers te woord te staan bij hun vragen. Bied iets te drinken aan, vertel over de woning zelf en vergeet niet om leuke weetjes over de buurt mee te geven. Houd er rekening mee dat u niet te opdringerig bent en de woning constant ‘de hemel in prijst’. Geef de bezoekers de ruimte om rustig te rond te kijken en vragen te stellen.