An open house is an excellent opportunity to showcase your home to potential buyers. Considering the disruption, having strangers walk through your home during an open house might seem a little daunting. There can be a lot of variables to consider: if you have a pet, where do they go? Perhaps the logistics of relocating your family for a few hours makes you wonder if having an open house is even worth a try. However, if selling your home is the ultimate goal, it may be time to consider the benefits of an open house.

Benefits for a Seller

Before your home’s open house, prospective buyers might have seen the home online, through social media, and bookmarked it as a home they were interested in. An open house takes potential buyers from the 2D images of your home to an in-person walk-through. When potential buyers have a chance to visit a home in person, it is a lot easier for them to experience the function and uniqueness of the house and ultimately visualize themselves living in it.

TIP: As a seller, you may even consider bringing on a professional stager to make the open house a more considerable success. 

Open houses have a reputation for drawing in nosey neighbours, but these casual pop-ins may benefit the home’s sale. Perhaps it’s the perfect home for their mother-in-law or son attending University. As they say, sometimes it’s who you know, or in this case, “who” your neighbour knows.  Other casual home lookers may fall in love with the home for themselves. The viewer may have been on the fence about selling, but after seeing the benefits of the house, the neighbourhood, and that chef’s kitchen, they may just jump at the opportunity. Yes, even looky-loos can become serious buyers.

It can also reduce the cost of marketing, creating exposure throughout the neighbourhood without expensive marketing materials. The best way to show off a fantastic home is to show the home in person!

Benefits for a Buyer

Sellers reap many benefits when hosting, but there are benefits of an open house for the buyer. Buying a home can be as stressful as selling one. Home hunting can be sped up for buyers by eliminating the hassle of booking viewing appointments. At an open house, there is no pressure to make an immediate decision; buyers can take a leisurely walk through the home, take in the neighbourhood, and ask questions without worrying about that call to action. They’re not rushed through the viewing because another family is on their way so that they can look at every part of the home.

A REALTOR® can help buyers and sellers navigate an open house. Your real estate agent will know the best times, season, and staging and have all the contacts required to make an open house a success. Find a REALTOR® that knows the best way to make the most of an open house, and that is one more thing that a REALTOR® can do to reduce pressure off both a buyer and a seller.