The Secrets of Holding Successful Open Houses

Ah, the open house - that one chance that you have to either snag a buyer ... or cause them to run screaming from your home. Open houses can be helpful, but only if you know a few tricks of the trade.
If you have no real interest in selling your home, go ahead and follow a perspective buyer all around the house. If you really don't want to sell your home, ask buyers a variety of personal questions; pick up everything that they touch; and make sure that they know you are in a rush to sell - in other words, leave buyers alone.
Even though you may think that you are being helpful, resist the urge to act like an overzealous hostess when you are holding an open house. Instead, greet the buyer and spend your time in one room while a buyer takes their time to look around. Do not worry if a buyer opens closets, pulls out drawers, and touches everything in sight - this is all part of selling a home. Instead, worry about your home's overall presentation.
Some useful tricks include: baking a few cookies and arranging them on a plate inside of the kitchen; opening windows to let fresh air inside (if it is warm); strategically placing soft blankets and silken pillows around the home that buyers can touch; and leaving an album full of your homes "many seasons" on the coffee table for buyers to look at. The last tip mentioned is especially helpful if you home looks wonderful during another season. For example, if your home is near a ski resort, make sure to include a few snapshots of the home covered in snow. This way, buyers will begin to (subconsciously) decorate the home for various seasons (snowmen and hot chocolate, anyone?), which will help them to feel at home.
In fact, getting a buyer to picture themselves inside of your home is half the battle. In order to do this, make sure to remove any personal objects from inside of your home during that open house (diplomas, wedding photos, family pictures). Also, it is a good idea to remove any children or pets from the home while buyers are visiting (just in case a buyer is allergic to animals or gets distracted by a child).
You cannot sell a home without an open house of some sort, so take the aforementioned advice to heart. When it comes to selling your home, the open house that you host will be one of your most useful tools. Make sure that your house looks its best, and remember not to bother buyers as they walk through your home (no matter how nosey they get!).
About the Author
Raynor James writes about strategies you can use to sell your own home as a FSBO to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars in agent commissions.