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How you exhibit your San Diego property can majorly influence whether you impress potential buyers or not. It's similar to selling a product— prospective buyers need to see the benefits they get from purchasing the property, and that means you have to build a compelling narrative and convince them of the home's appeal. There's no better way to do that than the hands-on approach of hosting an open house.
1. Pre-Open House Preparation
Consulting with a Real Estate Agent
Discussing your property's potential value with real estate agents and other industry professionals provides the needed insight to make informed decisions. They will know about the local housing market trends, and you can tailor your open house arrangements based on the information provided. Hosting a broker's open house first can give you a comprehensive guide that can lead to a successful open house.
Evaluating Your Home
Preparations should start at least a month before your open house. Having ample time for staging efforts can help you plan ahead and stay organized. For instance, you should determine which of your personal items can help highlight the property's features and which might be off-putting so they can be temporarily stored in a storage unit.
2. Presentation
Staging Your Home
After removing the clutter, you can deep clean your home to create a welcoming environment. Cleaning out the distracting aspects of the home helps highlight key features for open-house attendees and makes the house look less lived-in. That means removing traces of the current homeowners, like family photos.
To stage your home, add plants to make it feel cozy, set the dining room table, thoroughly clean your kitchen counters with baking soda to make them appear well-maintained, and put out fresh flowers. You can also crack open windows to showcase your property in the best light and turn your ceiling fans on for better ventilation.
Tailoring Decorations for Each Room
Some rooms require more attention than others. For instance, you might need to set down new towels for the bathroom and appropriate bed sheets for the master bedroom. It will help potential buyers envision their dream home better during the open house.
You can even rent furniture to set the stage or hire a professional home stager to make the home shine. It can be a good investment, especially if it encourages more potential buyers to visit the next open house. Renting furniture might be an added expense, but it will be worth the investment if it enhances the appearance of the space.
Enhancing Curb Appeal
To host a successful open house, you shouldn't focus on the interior entirely. You can plant flowers to make the yard or garden more aesthetically pleasing. Weather permitting, you can even set out patio furniture to create a welcoming atmosphere before the home buyers enter the house.
You can also pressure wash walkways a few hours before an open house. Buyers tend to judge whether a listing is worth exploring based on its exterior alone, so it's important to make a good first impression as soon as buyers step onto your property.
3. During an Open House
Greet your guests as they enter the front door and provide them with the necessary information about the property. You can even use a sign-in app or collect contact information from buyers to follow up with visitors after the open house. Buyers and sellers alike can benefit from the in-person interaction for personalized engagements.
Of course, you can hire a professional real estate agent to show buyers around. It's easy to host a private showing, but it can become overwhelming to host multiple buyers simultaneously. They can familiarize themselves with the space, and you'll get the same results without going through the open house process yourself.
Marketing and Scheduling
You cannot host an open house when there are no visitors. To do so, you must market your property listing in various places, primarily online. Many potential buyers do their home search through the internet, as pointed out by the National Association of REALTORS®, and you need to use the appropriate keywords to reach your target audience better.
You can also put up signs in high-traffic areas to increase local exposure. Most people inquire first to collect information, but not everyone will schedule a showing. To acquire more foot traffic, you can make a lasting impression by using professionally taken photos of your listing and scheduling open house dates when your target audience is off work.
Renting vs. Selling
You'll get a considerable sum from the real estate sale, but it doesn’t provide consistent income. On the other hand, renting will require more effort and costs, but it can be lucrative if you do things right. To cover all your bases, you can use our Rent vs. Sell Calculator and gain valuable insights to help with your decision.
Becoming a landlord is often a deal breaker for sellers once they realize the responsibilities,, such as tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance, routine inspections, and more. However, sellers can hire professionals like Harland Property Management to handle their rental with expertise.
Opting for Long-Term Profitability
A rental business might require a lot of work and due diligence to be successful, but it can be a lucrative venture. If you handle your rental property correctly, it will provide you with continuous cash flow.
You won't have to worry about that at all since there are services that cover everything you need, from marketing your rental properties to handling the day-to-day operations. Harland Property Management can help your business thrive as you earn passive income.
Schedule a free consultation to learn more about what we can do for you!
