Open House Etiquette for Sellers

While there’s lots of advice about how would-be buyers should behave during open houses, there are rules sellers should follow, too.

A good thing to keep in mind is that most buyers need to forge an emotional connection with a property to seriously consider buying it. So, it’s important to do whatever you can to make that process a little easier.

That means cleaning, temporarily removing animals, and hiding personal possessions and it means refraining from certain behaviours too.

Here, we take a look at open house etiquette for sellers.

What you should do before an open for inspection

As agents we like to focus on the “three Ps” in the lead up to an open for inspection – price, presentation and attracting the right people.

The day of the open, however, brings a whole new set of rules.

Temporarily remove animals

As much as we love them, pets don’t belong at an open house, so remove them and clean their mess.

Not everybody loves cats and dogs, and it can be a really big turn-off for somebody that might have an allergy to walk into an open house, smell a dog or cat, and start sneezing at the front door.

De-personalise the property

Potential buyers need to be able to imagine their life in the house that’s for sale and too much of your personal clutter can make this difficult.

Therefore, we recommend “de-personalising” a property as much possible. This means taking family snaps off the fridge and removing any polarising artwork.

Bring in some greenery or flowers

Many vendors underestimate the power of greenery in creating a warm and inviting home.

Large chic plants, newly-planted garden beds and floral arrangements all create a “fresh and welcoming vibe” in a home.

Keep up appearances

On open day, a property should reflect the polished images used in marketing material.

When you’re living in a property while selling it, a good rule of thumb to remember is it needs to look the way you’d expect a hotel room to look after room service has been through.

This is sometimes easier said than done with our busy lifestyles so one way to achieve this look is to book a cleaner between opens.

What you shouldn’t do at an open house

There are a few things vendors shouldn’t do during an open.

Don’t hang around

It’s not okay for vendors to stay in the house during an open or send in spies to scope out potential buyers.

We strongly suggest vendors are not there when we’re showing a property and the simple reason for that is: a buyer needs to feel like they are in the space on their own terms and it is very difficult for them to do this when the vendors are home.

Think of it like when you’re in a retail shop and the assistant follows you around everywhere you go. It can feel very uncomfortable and may mean that the buyer will not spend as long or look as thoroughly as they otherwise might.

Don’t call the agent for an update during the open home

For the duration of the open house, let the agent do their job. There will be plenty of time to receive feedback after the open house has finished.

Part of the real estate agent’s task at an open house is to get as many potential buyers through as possible and to be available to talk to those buyers and so it’s important for them to be able to maximise that.

Conversations with would-be buyers can make or break a deal and so the agent should be able to have them.

Don’t make access difficult

It may seem obvious, but if there is car parking, make sure you leave it free for potential buyers when hosting an open for inspection.

A buyer’s overall experience of a property includes little things like finding a park and the way they enter the home, so it makes sense to streamline everything, to make it as enjoyable and positive as possible.

All part of our service

Open homes are something that our agents do regularly for our sellers, and they are an important and effective part of the selling process as they allow multiple potential buyers access to your property all at once.

We have it down to a fine art and would be happy to chat with you any time about what you can expect from us when we do an open house and what kind of results you can achieve. Just give us a call!

Information sourced from: //www.realestate.com.au/advice/open-house-etiquette-for-sellers/