What Happens at an Open House?

At an Open House, the agent, or with your permission, an agent from their office, will advertise that your house is open to the public for viewing between certain hours at a specific day.  Open houses are usually Friday, Saturday or Sundays in the late morning and afternoon.  This gives people a chance to visit your house, re-visit your house, and possibly spend more time considering your home as a possibility as opposed to other homes that have limited viewing times.

If you have strict times that agents are allowed to show your house, an open house gives homebuyers an opportunity to view your house when they may have passed it by on a different day due to scheduling conflicts.

During the open house, the agent does NOT leave your home.  They are available to answer questions and show special features of the house.  The agent will have flyers with information about your home and possibly about financing.  They may want to play relaxing music and will probably turn on all the lights.  The agent may bring a vase of flowers, small snacks and water bottles.  The goal is to make people feel comfortable in the house, to make it feel as if it could be their home.

To prepare for an open house, be sure all small valuables are put away and tidy up the house as best you can.  It is always easier to sell a house that looks as though there is enough space for everything as opposed to a house that is cluttered and appears to not have enough storage space.  Not every home buyer can look past clutter and messes, so do yourself a favor, and start packing all the non-essentials now and neatly store the boxes in the garage or in a storage facility.  You’re planning to move, so make the process easier for yourself and get started now.