YES! Your New Orleans house is for sale! Your top New Orleans real estate agent said they were going to host an open house and you are PUMPED for it! What should you expect from an open house though?
Well….. hate to burst your bubble, but you shouldn’t be.
The large majority of people coming into your open house that Saturday or Sunday afternoon are not going to buy your house. They are mainly nosy neighbors, people that just like seeing houses, and other nosy folks. And that’s if you even get anyone in the door.
Do you mean open houses don’t sell my house?
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they sure don’t. (Not typically, anyway.) In this day and age, most people have seen your house online and have either ruled it out or scheduled an appointment to come view it.
Why am I leaving my house for 2 hours then?
Selling agents host open houses to make you happy. They also hold open houses to potentially pick up other buyers.
We don’t want you scrubbing the house from top to bottom when it’s more likely that no one will come in.
Are you telling me open houses never work?
NOPE! There are occasions that someone came in for the open house and then bought the house. (We’ve definitely had it happen!) We just want to keep expectations realistic about what to expect from an open house.
I don’t care. Will you have an open house for me?
Yep. Sure will. We always have an open house, as long as it works for you and your family. Because, you never know, we could be in that slim percentage that the right buyers come through during your open house!
We just want to keep realistic expectations.
Sellers tend to think that anything less than 100 people traipsing through is not a good open house. If we get 5-10 people through – it’s pretty great! But, please don’t be sad if no one comes. Nothing pains us more than telling you that not a soul wandered through.
Why does anyone host an open house?
Super unique houses, houses in neighborhoods that sell really fast, or very fancy New Orleans homes are the ones that get the most foot traffic. Unique and fancy houses pique interest and people want to come and look at it.
The homes in HOT New Orleans neighborhoods, open houses are a chance to let every potential buyer through and then the bidding war starts.
How do I create an open house that will attract a lot of buyers and offers?
Unless you’re in the above-mentioned categories, you may need to drop the price or offer something to entice people in. There have been times where we raffle off gift cards to anyone who comes through the open house. Some sellers have even offered closing costs or home warranties to anyone who comes to the open house and submits an offer. Team Be New Orleans is always up for trying something!
If you’re ready to sell your New Orleans home, let’s talk about all of our marketing plans! Message below or schedule a meeting!