What are Open Houses?

Open houses are an important part of the modern home-buying process. During an open house, your real estate agent will make your home open to the public for a period of one to three hours. During that time, agents show visitors around, provide details about the sale and record contact information about potential buyers.

Are Open Houses Worth It?

There are many reasons why open houses are worth doing. Open house preparation can be stressful, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

First, open houses expose your home to many interested buyers relatively quickly. People love going to open houses because it's a great opportunity to see properties in person.

Agents can schedule showings, but open houses allow your agent to give several tours in a few hours.

There are no guarantees, but many agents can sell homes much quicker after an open house. It gets the word out about your property, and visitors can make competitive offers based on what they see. Many open houses lead to bidding wars and quick turnarounds, especially in competitive markets. That means less time waiting to sell.

What Should You Do to Prepare for an Open House?

The biggest reason sellers hesitate to do an open house is the prep work involved. It can be a lot, but putting the time and money into making your home presentable can pay off handsomely.

Generally, open house preparation involves deep cleaning and staging. You want to remove clutter from every room in your home. Most agents also recommend getting rid of photos and anything that makes your house look too "lived in."

The goal is to make your property appealing to potential buyers. That means creating a look that encourages them to imagine what it's like living there.

Agents also recommend investing in property staging. With staging, you can remove your furniture and personal belongings. You can take everything out, move it into storage or a new home and have a stager come in with stylized furniture.

Staging is about creating a magazine-ready home that looks and feels inviting.

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