Resource for For Sale By Owners in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Holding an open house is a great strategy to get the word out about your home sale. But you can’t hold a “normal” open house. No one will show up. Instead, you really have to hold a “mega” open house with the full range of promotion. Here’s how I recommend you do it to get the most buyers:
You first want to set a date for an open house. Sundays work best because people are off work. I suggest you set the open house date two weeks in advance of your event.
Hire a professional to take beautiful photos of your home (after it’s properly staged to sell) and post them on Facebook as a live event. You’ll be surprised, but if you offer food such as free wine or cheese at the open house, your RSVP’s will go way up!
It’s time now to get the word out – post the event on all your social media accounts and send an email about your open house to all your contacts in Gmail, Outlook etc.
You can also follow this up with phone calls to all your neighbors inviting them to your home. You can get a list of all the local homeowners from a list broker like InfoUSA.com.
Running a Facebook advertisement to all the homeowners in the area who are “likely to move” (it’s possible to find this audience on Facebook) is another great way to get the message out.
Pass out flyers or get an email out to all the agents at other real estate offices to let them know your home is for sale. A real estate agent can bring a buyer to your open house.
On the day of your open house, make sure you have plenty of yard signs and balloons to provide direction from the main roads. Remove all personal photos from your home and any medication from your cabinets.
Holding an open house without question does have pro’s and con’s. You must be comfortable letting strangers walk through your home. It’s easier when you have a real estate agent to represent you, plus I would do all this work for you to get the word out about your home sale.
If you’re not happy with the number or quality of inquiries on your home, it could be due to a number of factors.
You may need improved marketing, you may be listed in the wrong price category, other homeowners or agents are communicating with your buyers faster, and more. If you’d like some help, give me a call at 703-346-2776.
