Creative Open House Ideas To Bring Buyers To The Table

Help your real estate agent help you by implementing these cool and unusual open house ideas that will make your house memorable and bring buyers to the table.

Throw it at night.

Most people who are looking for homes for sale have daytime weekdays and weekend plans. Either they're at work, at company outings, watching their kids play sports, shopping, or visiting family. If you hold your open house on a Saturday afternoon, you'll only get a fraction of the numbers you'd get if you throw your open house at night.

The advantages of a nighttime open house are:

• Fewer people have weekday evening plans, so they'll be free to come visit.
• Many people will welcome the opportunity to escape their own house for a while.
• You can use lighting more effectively at night.
• If a buyer is even remotely interested, they'll be forced to come back a second time to see your house in the daylight.

Have a sit down meal.

This will finally give you a chance to use that dining room table. Host a sit down meal with place cards, good china, and floral centerpieces. Invite potential buyers from a list your real estate agent provides. Hire a company to take care of cooking, serving, and cleanup duties. The advantages of a sit down meal are:

• Buyers will get a feel for how awesome your house is for entertaining.
• Buyers will get a chance to get to know you and trust you as a home seller.
• Buyers will be able to ask you questions about the house in a relaxed atmosphere.
• You'll be able to tell stories about your experiences while living in the house, which will increase buyers' emotional attachment to the property.

Hire a Celebrity

Pull in some favors to get a local celebrity to attend your open house. When you mail out your advertisement postcards feature the celebrity's image prominently. Buyers will flock to your house in order to get a photo op or an autograph. The advantages of hiring a celebrity to attend your open house are:

• Buyers will stay longer to get a chance to meet the celebrity in person.
• Your open house will be long remembered.
• Buyers will have a positive feeling about their experience at your open house.
• Buyers will subconsciously think the celebrity favors your house for buying.

When it comes to your open house, don't be afraid to toss out the rule book. Baking cookies and offering wine to buyers has become so commonplace that they don't make an impact anymore. Use these new ideas to make your open house effective.