As the year begins to unfold, your big dreams of a successful 2023 home sale might be unfolding right along with it. (As mentioned in last month’s blog, you shouldn’t be fooled by fed rates; people are still moving!) There are so many advantageous actions to take in order to make your sale a sure thing. But maybe you’ve done all those things: Hired a reputable agent? Check. Made necessary updates to your home? Check. Listed it at a reasonable-but-competitive price? Check!
Sure… there are certain factors in the buying and selling process that we simply cannot control (seasons, prospective buyers, and the temperature of the real estate market, to name a few). However, that means utilizing our controllable factors is so much more imperative.
So, what is the most important controllable factor? It is the way your home looks and feels today. Open houses are a prospective buyers’ only opportunity to see and feel your home in real life and real time. They provide your house its best chance in its most flattering light, where its most desirable features can be seen with the naked eye (rather than enumerated on an Internet listing). When summarizing the importance of open houses, it is John Kriza, a Philadelphia-based broker, who says it best. He says to HGTV.com, "I know from experience that buyers appreciate the opportunity to take what they've found on the Internet and see the product first-hand. They want to be taken beyond a virtual tour that the Internet provides and personally be shown the home, the layout, concepts and design elements by someone who knows the property inside and out."
To his point, an open house is a buyer’s direct access to the home you want to sell. The red tape seems less overwhelming, and the idea of a new home feels like an imminent reality instead of faraway daydream. If delving into an open house seems untenable to you, it may be time to make a list in order to make it more feasible, attainable, and yes, even exciting. Here are our best coaching tips to create an open house that sells your home lickety split…
- Compare & Contrast
Theodore Roosevelt famously asserted long ago that “Comparison is the thief of joy.” That adage may apply to many situations, but real estate isn’t one of them! Don’t make an open house event more difficult for yourself, your family, or your agent by trying to wing it. There are open house events happening in nearly every neighborhood in America on any given day – which ones have caught your eye? Make note of the type of advertising you’re drawn to, the way you’re greeted when you enter a home, and what factors entice you to really consider the purchase of a house after you’ve seen it in person. Those conclusions are fantastic directives when it comes to launching your own open house. The same goes for any open houses that have felt drab, underwhelming, or just plain annoying to you. In comparing and contrasting what works and what doesn’t, you can ensure that you’re following a blueprint for a successful and quick sale.
- Stage & Prepare
The work you put into the front end of an open house event is absolutely sure to pay off on the backend. (An important caveat to that idea? The front-end work needs to be the right kind of work.) As Annalisa Burgos defines on HGTV.com, "staging" {is} the process of preparing a home for sale via de-cluttering, depersonalizing and neutralizing, among other techniques.”
All in all, “staging and preparing” entails transforming your home from the place you call home, to a home that a buyer can see him or herself in. For instance, all those personal pictures and artwork that bring you joy… might deter a potential buyer from imagining a life in your space. All that clutter in the office might detract from the awesome backyard view from your desk window. And while loud colors and patterns might feel right at home in your mind, they can distract a person who feels best in a neutral environment. Of course this doesn’t mean you’re going to break the bank to change every single element of your home. However, if you’re putting in the commendable work it takes to host an open house, you owe it to your future sale to set the stage ahead of time.
- Research & Rely On
There are myriad benefits to hiring a dependable real estate agent. Perhaps the most important one is his or her broad and intricate knowledge of the market, sales tactics, and emotional intelligence. It is typical to feel a special and personal kinship to your home – and for all intents and purposes, you do know it best. It is imperative to remember, though, that you hired your agent for a reason: they know more than you do about your potential buyer. (And that’s what will sell your home!) Try to relinquish control a bit to allow suggestions from seasoned professionals and ask for clarity if you feel your boundaries are being overstepped. It isn’t easy to picture the public viewing of your home, and proficient agents understand this. Allow their knowledge to pair with your beautiful space, and a sale is sure to occur. (Looking for a top agent right now? Call Sophia Klopas and Jason Stratton, the most efficient team in Chicago.)
Once you’ve decided you’re ready to move, you likely want to get a move on… soon! Like most worthwhile transitions in life, a smooth ending requires a well-planned beginning. Let your research, intuition, and trusty team help you to make the best of the home you’re in. In doing so, you’ll find your next place just around the corner. Pun intended!
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