An open house is an incredibly useful tool at your disposal when you want to sell your home. An open house allows you to show off the best features of your home and get people excited about the property. When you have multiple interested parties, you’re more likely to get an offer at or above asking price. (An open house also forces you to clean and organize your house before you get ready to move!) You may have your home staged and your cheese tray purchased, but how can you be sure that people will actually come? Are are some tips to help you attract more potential buyers to your open house.

Try Going Against the Grain with Your Open House Scheduling

As with anything else, there are peak times for open house showings. These are typically based on availability of potential buyers and a perceived “optimal time” for showings. However, if you’re running your open house while everyone else is, you’ll be fighting other homes for attendees. Try going against the grain with your scheduling by choosing an off hour. Having your open house in the early evening, after work may allow commuters to stop by on their way home. Hosting your open house in the morning will mean less competition for interested parties.

Plan Around Community Events, or Host Your Own

Another great way to get people to your open house is by checking the community events calendar. Is there a popular event creating foot traffic in your neighborhood? Consider having an open house before the event starts. Eager neighbors will be excited to come by and see your home. Even if these people aren’t looking for a home themselves, they might have friends who want to move into the neighborhood. The more people that know about your home sale, the more potential leads you can land.

Give Potential Buyers a Sneak Preview of the Home with Social Media

Another great way to incentivize attendance at your open house is with a sneak preview online. You can use free tools, like Facebook Live or IGTV to give people a virtual tour of your home before they arrive. This creates an opportunity for you to show off some of the highlights of your home and get people excited about the property. When potential buyers have the chance to look at the property before they visit, you can feel better about the quality of leads showing up to your open house. These attendees know what they’re coming to see, and they’re ready to really consider your home.

Plan Your Open House with Real Estate Agent Bill Swanson

Bill Swanson is an Omaha native with over 30 years of experience helping families buy and sell homes in the area. Bill can help you with the details of the process, like planning your open house, to make sure you get good value for your home and sell the property quickly. Start the process of selling your home by contacting Bill Swanson in Omaha, NE at 402-679-6566.