While many might say that the pleasant months of spring are the ideal house selling season, expert real estate agents, like dorrmat, know that the holidays bring serious potential buyers. This means that if you list during the holiday season, you have a better chance at getting the home sold quickly and also close to your asking price.
There are certain do’s and don’ts a real estate agent must keep in mind while hosting open houses during the holidays. In this article, we are going to share some of our effective tips to have a successful open house.
1. Do List At The Ideal Time
As an agent, you must ensure that you study the real estate market and make sure you list your home and have the open house at an ideal time. Potential buyers are more inclined to buy a new property throughout the months of November and December.
There is a noticeable increase in the volume of homes sold after each major holiday such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year. If you follow these patterns and align your open houses to match them, you stand a much better chance of finding the right buyer.
2. Do Enhance The Curb Appeal
The cold winters bring in a lot of snow in most places and a general drab appeal to everything. You need to ensure the property creates a good first impression on the buyers, so do try to spruce up the home and the yard before the open house.
Shovel the snow and keep the walkway clear, clean the yard, give the property a fresh coat of paint, and add some holiday decor items like a wreath on the door or a snowman out in the yard to add a festive cheer to your open house.
3. Do Deck The Halls
As school is out during the holidays, be ready to welcome families at your open houses. Therefore, make sure to add Christmas cheer to the property. Add some holiday decorations and twinkling fairy lights, put out a plate of warm cookies, and light some scented candles.
These will make the home feel warm and cozy to the prospective buyers and help you make the sale with minimum effort. Don’t forget to minimize the religious elements and stick with a more general holiday spirit.
4. Do Keep An Eye On The Weather
Real estate agents must definitely keep a close eye on the weather forecasts, as you do not want a no-show at your open houses. Make sure to list in your marketing descriptions both weekdays and weekends for the open house events. Ask the buyers to make sure to check the weather and even your updates before coming for the open house.
This will also enable the buyers with busy schedules to be able to visit the home at their convenience. Have more hours of the open house on the weekend after confirming with the sellers so that you can maximize your chance of selling the property. If necessary, reschedule the open house to another weekend if the forecast predicts adverse weather.
5. Do Write An Effective Listing Description
A real estate agent must write an effective listing description to attract the buyers to venture out in the cold and snow. You need to make your clients’ homes sound like the perfect new home for the buyers. So, along with the usual description of the property features, try to include some holiday cheer.
If you are describing a family home, then mention why this is the perfect home to ring in the holidays and the celebrations. In your description, advertise this open house as a special holiday season event.
The Don’ts Real Estate Agents Must Follow For Holiday Open Houses
1. Don’t Go Overboard With The Holiday Spirit
Now, along with the do’s, there are certain don’ts that real estate agents must avoid. One of the mistakes holiday open house clients make is to have excessive decorations. Remember, this is still an open house, and you want the buyers to be able to see all the salient aspects of the property.
Put away any large inflatable holiday decor items such as Santa and the reindeer. It can distract from the curb appeal. Similarly, keep the tinsel and lights to a minimum. You want the buyer’s family to be able to envision themselves in the home.
2. Don’t Leave Out The Presents
As the open houses overlap with the holidays, it is necessary to do a walkthrough on the day of the open house to ensure that there are no valuable items that belong to your client left out in the open. This is especially applicable to the present under the tree.
Ask your clients to put away the presents until the open house event is over. This will ensure that there is no loss of items, as well as the buyers will not get distracted from what they have come to see.
3. Don’t Skip The Research On Prospective Buyers
Buyers make sure that the house that the property is perfect for them, so you need to make sure that you understand your potential buyers. In the real estate business, understanding your buyers will help you market your property better.
If most buyers in your location are typically young couples in the high-income bracket, then make sure your marketing post details the benefits of the property that they would be looking for in their new home.
Do market how this could be a beautiful new home for celebrating the holidays with their friends and family. Take advantage of selling homes during the holidays to such motivated buyers and see your listings get closed at a rapid pace.
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