Despite the introduction of new technology like video tours, there’s no questioning the importance of a traditional open home.
In fact, in most cases it’s the open home that makes or breaks a sale, allowing potential buyers to explore the property and envisage themselves living there.
But as every agent will attest, hosting a successful open home takes time and preparation on the behalf of the vendor.
With that in mind, here are just four ways you can help your vendor make the right impression…
It’s about all the senses
The open home is the opportunity to create a great first impression that has buyers emotionally connecting with the property.
And this connection encompasses all the senses. One of the pieces of advice you can give your client as a real estate agent is to invest in an air purifier along with its respective filters like MERV 8 filters.
This is relevant and timely, now more than ever, in an era when sanitisation and cleanliness are top of mind.
Property visitors are going to feel happier when they’re walking into a home that doesn’t just look clean but feels clean too. No one will be comfortable spending time in a property that’s dusty, smells mouldy, or feels stale.
After all, it’s important to give potential buyers a pleasant experience during an open home and this starts by ensuring the air they breathe in is clean.
Not only do air purifiers help create a great first impression, their portable nature means the seller can take them with them to their new home once their existing property is sold.
Enhance the curb appeal
The whole aim of an open home is to drive more traffic to the property.
This means that right from the outside, the home has to be appealing.
Otherwise, there’s no way that would-be buyers will be interested in entering the front gate and giving the property a whole look.
First impressions are lasting and your client can certainly strike a good one with a pleasing and well-maintained curb.
This doesn’t mean making expensive and big changes like landscaping work or building a swimming pool, for instance.
Even small changes like trimming the plants, removing dead plants, or repainting the fence can speak volumes.
De-clutter the house
Your client may have the biggest and grandest of all the properties for sale, but if it’s not clean and neat, then it’s still not going to stand out.
In fact, the potential buyers won’t even be able to enjoy the positive features of the home when they’re overshadowed by the negative.
Encourage the vendor to declutter. If they’re too busy to do this themselves, offer to hire a professional decluttering or cleaning company to help them out.
Convince your client that decluttering the home is like hitting two birds with one stone: the living space becomes more inviting and enticing to would-be buyers while also speeding up the packing process as those things they no longer need at home are finally out of the way.
Repair what’s broken
While fixer-uppers and renovator’s delights might appeal to some buyers, others will baulk at a property with a long list of repairs required.
That’s why most agents will go through the property they’re trying to sell and have the vendor repair what’s broken.
Like enhancing the curb appeal, this doesn’t necessarily mean going through a major overhaul of the home. If money is a problem for your client, then they can always start and focus on those minor repairs that make the most impact.
To be certain about what those areas are, arranging a pest and building inspection may also be a good idea.
By doing so, you have that guarantee that you won’t miss out on any essential repair work that needs to be done. Moreover, your client won’t make the mistake of focusing on repairing areas of the home that have the least impact anyway.
Final insights
Every agent appreciates the importance of the open home process, but sometimes it can be challenging to impress this upon the seller.
With today’s buyer becoming more and more particular about their decision-making process down to the minute detail, the reality is both the agent and the vendor have to aim to please.
This is something you can successfully do with tried-and-tested tactics like those mentioned above.
