MORE WAYS TO ATTRACT POTENTIAL BUYERS TO OPEN HOUSES: ADDITIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS TO GET BUYERS THROUGH YOUR DOORS

In my article, Getting Buyers to Visit Your Open House, I started off with some tips for getting people to visit your open house. If you weren’t directed here from that article, make sure to check it out as well to learn other answers in addition to these.
Here are some miscellaneous tips and advice.

 

Both at the house and on roads leading to the house, you can never have too many signs.

Copyright 2010 by Diana Parkhouse

• You Can Never Have Too Many Signs
  It is critical to have signs located not only on the road and in front of the house but on all the roads that could lead to the home, Make sure to start at the major roads that lead to the home. You might want to post them the day before and then add balloons on the day of the open house. Shiny balloons have been shown to attract buyers -- especially silver. Many agents say they get most of their traffic this way -- through signage.


• Have a banker or loan officer at the open house.
  Buyers may have questions that a financial expert can answer right away. It may be just the final piece they need to make an offer.


• Food, drinks, freebies, drawings, and raffles always attract buyers. The giveaways should correspond to the price of the home.
  • Give out decorative packets of candy.
  • Send buyers home with seed packets for flowers that buyers can plant in their new home (preferably this one). Add something like, “These would look great in planters on the back deck.” Encourage them to imagine planting the seeds in the new space.
  • Offer to pay for a free decorating consultation for their new home, moving and packing services, or a free staging consult if they still need to sell their current home.
  • Offer a gift certificate for a spa treatment or dinner at a popular local restaurant.
  • Present a gift card to a popular local retailer that sells décor so they can decorate this new home. Get them thinking about living in the space.
  • Offer to pay HOA fees for 6 months for the first buyers that comes in with a full price offer. 
  • Pay for cleaning or landscaping services for 6 months for homes without HOA fees.
    Put an expiration date on putting in the offer (say 30 days). Also, require the buyers to come to the open house to get the card to be able to redeem it. 
  • Think outside the box and research what works with your target buyers.

 

Refreshments always attract more people. Make sure to advertise they will be served in your ads.

Copyright 2009 by Ella Novak

• Make sure to check and double-check the date(s).
  Make sure there are no holidays, major sports events, or other activities that would keep people from coming.


• Check the forecast.
  If a major snowstorm, hurricane or other inclement weather is predicted, either reconsider or make sure to list a “rain date” on the flyers so people can mark their calendars. Implement the same plan on that day instead.

 

Make sure there are no major weather events headed your way, such as blizzards or hurricanes. 

Copyright 2012 by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

• Try to hook up with other agents who have listings in the neighborhood, area, or complex.
  If there are lots of open houses in one area, it will attract more buyers because they can see a lot of homes in a short amount of time, without have to drive far. Plus, if they are near each other, they are most likely homes the buyers would consider viewing.
  
  You might wonder why you should work with your competition? It’s always better to work cooperatively with local agents. It makes deals go smoother and there will be a time an agent might be able to help one agent out and vice versa. Plus, if the homes are in the same area, they are likely comparable and the buyers will mostly like view them all at some point anyway.

Some agents will do a mailing to a neighborhood that consists of target buyers or even the neighborhood of the open house. They will do this to advertise the open house. It’s also great if the agent recently sold a home in that neighborhood and can announce that sale and what it sold for, along with the invitation to be one of the first to see another home that just went on the market in the neighborhood. Also, even if neighbors do come, they will tell friends or family members. Homeowners would love to be able to choose who their new neighbors will be.

 

Consider mailing postcards to neighbors. You never know who know someone looking to buy. And wouldn't you rather choose your new neighbors?

Copyright 2005 by Doug Tammany

Think outside the box. Be creative. And ask family, friends, or co-workers what has worked for them in the past or with people they know who sold homes. Also ask them what would make them visit an open house.

I hope these ideas are not only helpful, but will help spark your own ideas, maybe even some unique to your situation.

One final note that's important to mention. Don’t be surprised if you get a lot of curious neighbors, people looking for design ideas, or people who just like to look at houses. But remember that these people might know people who fit the buyer profile for your house, so don’t think they don’t count. 

Just don’t host an open house with the expectation of receiving an offer or offers. It sometimes happens, but usually not. It still gets the word out, which is important. It's the first step and it gets the ball rolling.

Good luck! Send me your success stories and even those that may not have worked out the way you wanted. I'd be glad to give ideas and suggestions for the next one.

ROUND 2 OF FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: OTHER QUESTIONS BUYERS ASK STAGERS

I had so many questions to cover in my article, Frequent Staging Questions, that I felt it was too long to put in one article. So I tried to find a point of separation and continue the questions here. As always, if you think of more, send me an email. I am also on Facebook. 

• If I can’t afford to hire a stager, what are the most important things I can do on my own?  Hire a stager just to evaluate and give you a few quick tips. If you have a btg more money, spend it on a staging report and then implement the recommendations on your own (and by bribing friends and family to help). See if your agent offers staging. Many of them will offer basic tips but some will include full staging in their contract to sell your home.
  Read books, articles & blog entries, and watch some of the top shows on stations like HGTV or DIY Network. Visit the websites or blogs of popular stagers, such as Sabrina Soto.
  Finally, the part of staging that costs the least and is most effective is cleaning and de-cluttering. All it takes is time and effort and very little money –- maybe just the cost of cleaning supplies.

Cleaning and de-cluttering is one thing you can do on a limited budget. It is extremely important.

Copyright  2010 by Go Greezer Oz

• How do I choose colors? Most people are concerned because stagers and agents tell clients to use neutral colors. But neutral doesn’t mean boring or just whites and beige. It does include actual color. I think this confuses a lot of people.
  Neutral staging colors are those that are not too strong or bold, and are those that most people like. For example, pinks and purples are two examples of colors that are either loved or hated, so use these with caution.
  
  There are certain shades that might work as accents. Most other colors are acceptable if you use the lighter or mid-tones of these hues.Think about a paint chip card. The lighter the shade, the more you can use it. As you get to the darkest color on the card, keep that for accents and accessories. The middle shades are even fine to use in moderate amounts. Think about whether you think the majority of people would like the color? There are many gorgeous shades of orange, such as terra cotta as a medium shade or peach as a lighter shade, but bright Halloween or caution cone orange is a bit too much.
  
  If you want to mix shades, think about sticking to the same spots on each of the color chip strips. For example, if you use the 2nd and 3rd shades down on one card, do the same on the other. Monochromatic and analogous schemes always work well. For excitement, think about complementary schemes. When using a complementary scheme, remember not to use the colors in equal amounts. This is true with any palette involving more than one color. Make sure one is dominant.
  
  A common guideline (and you don’t have to use this, but it helps if you are stuck) is the 60/30/10 rule. It’s exactly like it appears: use 60% of one color, 30% of the second, and 10% of the third.
  

 

There are so many colors to choose from when staging. Just follow the guidelines above.

Copyright 2009 by Team Dalag

• Why would I spend money on a house I’m leaving? How much does it cost? Staging typically costs about 1-2% of the home’s value. It has been shown in studies that sellers not only get that money back, but they get 2, 3 or even 10x that amount back when they sell. It also enables buyers to list the home for it’s true value.
  



• Have you ever personally used staging to sell a home? Yes, I have. I bought a townhouse before I was married. It was right before the market took off. I found that renting and buying would result in similar payments. I bought a townhome that needed lots of work. After doing all the work, my fiancé and I decided we should buy a home before we got priced out of the market completely.I staged my townhouse myself but also made sure to get outside input from family and friends. Sometimes it’s hard to stage your own home because you are so close to it.
  
  This is a perfect example of accentuating the positives and downplaying the negatives. My townhouse was one of the few that had a set of stairs from the parking lot to the front door. Before anyone could object to that, I acknowledged it in my flyers and information sheets and portrayed it as a positive feature. By not having a parking lot outside your front door, the home was much quieter. You didn’t have headlights glaring into your home at all hours of the night. Since my home was away from the parking lot, it seemed more private.
  
  In addition, being higher up on the hill, I had great views of the mountains from not only the upper level, but the lower level as well. Did you see how I not only downplayed something many buyers would consider a negative, but I also turned it into something positive. I advertised all the new features that had been completed, and even had a buyer's packet that included before and after pictures (which buyers loved) and I think the idea of all these improvements drew more people to the open house, but also the packet (which was extensive and stayed at the sign-in desk) make the home memorable -- very important in a townhouse community where every unit looks the same. "Oh, that was the one that had that helpful packet and all those before and after photos."
  
  
  These mountain views were a positive of having to walk up stairs to get to my townhouse. This is how I turned a potential negative into a positive.
  Copyright 2012 by Kristen DiNobile
  
  And yes, the home sold not only for more than I spent on the staging, it also sold for much more that I spent on renovating it top to bottom. I actually sold it for almost 4x the amount I put into staging and renovating. I pay 20 times more than I just spent on staging alone (without the renovations)

I know there are probably many more questions you’d love to ask. Please feel free to contact me if there are questions you’d like to see covered in future articles. You can also let me know if there are other areas you’d like me to write about either in my articles or my blog posts.

ARE OPEN HOUSE NECESSARY OR EVEN HELPFUL? HERE IS INFORMATION FROM BOTH SIDES OF THIS ONGOING DEBATE

The question of whether to do an open house or not has become a strong item of debate for Realtors, agencies, sellers, buyers, stagers, and even designers. The question is whether or not it is worth the time, effort and cost are worth it? I’ll give you my opinion at the end but form your own opinion based on the information here.

 Some agents believe open houses are important. Whatever your belief, this house is ready for potential buyers.

Copyright  2007 by Nate Steiner

People who believe open houses are worth doing say they are important because they:

• Get the word out about the property and give it exposure to more potential buyers.
• Allow buyers to look at houses without their agent (some people feel more relaxed without their own agent there) or waiting to get an appointment to see the home.
• Can often overhear the comments of other potential buyers.
• Draw in neighbors or people who just like to look at open houses, but they may know friends or family members that are interested.
• Use signs that may attract buyers that they may have not noticed otherwise.
• Could be properties that they wouldn’t necessarily have their agent make an appointment to see, but if it’s an open house they may decide to give it a chance because they feel they aren’t wasting anyone’s time.
• May attract buyers considering selling a home to buy a new one and seeing the home may be that push they need to decide to list their home.
• Could attract buyers considering selling and buying and if they click with the agent, they may decide to sell their own home.
• Give the agent the opportunity to get lots of feedback from people looking at the home, even if they aren’t interested in that particular home. This enables the sellers to address those issues so they won’t be a problem in the future.
• May enable sellers to feel more relaxed looking at the home because there are usually other people there so they are more open to giving the house a really serious look.
• Are effective if they are planned and advertised correctly.
• Do attract people as long as they held on weekends that don’t coincide with holiday, maj0r sports events, and things of that nature.

 

This house is another example of a home ready for buyers. But it still doesn't solve the debate of whether an open house would be effective in selling this home.

Copyright 2008 by Select Seattle Homes

 Those who say open houses are a waste of time believe this because they say open houses:

• Tend to attract nosy neighbors just looking to see their neighbor’s home or how much it’s worth, and don’t attract serious buyers.
• Attract people who just like to look at open houses on Sunday afternoons or are looking for decorating ideas.
• Don’t sell houses. There are statistics that show the majority of open houses don’t lead to an offer or sale.
• Are inconvenient because the sellers have to leave the home.
• Cost money to host, mostly in terms of advertising costs.
• Are time-consuming to plan and advertise.
• Are only used by agents to attract potential new clients for themselves.
• Just get the agent’s name in print or in any advertising.
• Rarely lead to an offer.
• Confine the agent to a home for a few hours when they could be out getting more clients.
• Are unsafe because the agent is often alone in a home and that fact has been advertised.
• Are held on weekends when many people are busy or spending time with family and don’t have time to visit open houses.

Regardless of whether your agent agrees with it or not, if you, the clients, want an open house they agent should respect your wishes and host the open house. The other type of open house is an agent open house, which is a topic for another post.

 Realtors, show above, are still not in agreement about whether open houses are effective or not. However, it's not a major issue between agents.

Copyright 2012 by Realtor Action Center

Here’s my take on open houses. I don’t think they are a waste of time. I do think agents need to prepare sellers by explaining the purposes for hosting an open house and the benefits they provide, but also explain that most don’t lead to an immediate offer or sale. This way, sellers aren’t disappointed. They are one part of the many things an agent needs to do to get the word out about the home.

Many open houses are a waste of time because they are not done correctly. They are not planned, organized or advertised correctly. And the other reason they don't work is that the price is not accurate for the home. Anything that gets positive information out about your home is good. Yes, the will attract neighbors and curious people who go to open houses for fun or to get decorating ideas, but you never know who they know that may be looking for just such a house. And while the majority of open houses don’t directly sell a home, there are those few that do, so why take a chance and miss out on a sale?

In addition, the open house is part of an integrated advertising approach where all parts contribute something and build on each other. I don’t think you need to have one every couple weeks. And if you stage, this won’t be necessary. It’s critical to pick a date that will work and doesn’t coincide with holidays or other major events. In addition, advertising is critical. And finally, surveys and studies show signage was the reason they came and that shiny balloons (like silver metallic) do draw attention.

Regardless of what type of home you are selling, you and your agent should have a comprehensive marketing plan. 

Copyright 2004 by Carly Franklin

Agents know what forms of advertising work best in your area. This varies greatly by region, state, and even county. Buyers are also people that know the best places to advertise. Ask them where they look to find open houses so that you can get the most people to attend. I believe an open house is an important part of selling a home, provided it’s done correctly.

TOP SITES FOR INEXPENSIVE STAGING DÉCOR AND ACCESSORIES: YOU DON’T NEED TO SPEND A FORTUNE BUT YOU CAN MAKE IT LOOK LIKE YOU DID

These are some of my favorite places to shop when I’m looking for everything I need for my home such as furniture, décor, accessories, bedding, blankets and throw pillows, lighting, outdoor décor, and so much more. And I have to confess that I am an online shopping girl. I buy EVERYTHING -- including my groceries -- online. Of course, most of these stores you can also visit in person as well.

• Amazon
  You can purchase just about anything here. My favorite feature is the Wish List. You can not only add items sold on Amazon, but items from other stores as well. So if you’re shopping and you find things but still want to look, you can collect them all in one spot. If you check out my wish list, you’ll see I have it divided into about 15 different categories. Shipping is free if you spend more than $25 or if you are a Prime Member (which I highly recommend joining) on eligible items. You’ll find the majority are. The customer service is beyond exceptional.
• World Market
• JC Penny
• Home Goods
• Kohls
• Goodwill
• Walmart
• Target
• The Container Store
• Stacks and Stacks
• Home Depot
• Pinterest
• Ikea
• Overstock
• Dollar Stores
  • Dollar Tree
  • Family Dollar

 Copyright 2010 by Walmart Corporate

Copyright 2004 by epSOS.de

Copyright 2008 by Kevin Dooley

 Copyright 2012 by Bernard Goldbach 




Finally, don’t forget the following places.

• Yard, garage, and estate sales are great ideas for bargains or DIY projects. Search for yard sales in your area at Yard Sale Search.  

 

Community yard sales are great places to find deals.

Copyright 2012 by USAG-Humphreys

• Salvation Army stores really have some great products so you can get super deals on quality productss,

• Consignment shops are great places to find deals as well.                                            (Check local listings in the print or online versions of the Yellow Pages.)

•  Habit for Humanity ReStores are located in various areas, as well as online

• Craigslist is good for finding used furniture pieces and maybe decor.

• EBay has way too many products to list, both through auctions and storefronts.

• Local papers and/or the Pennysaver usually have sections for items available for sale in your local area.

• Freecycle is a site where people register to both give products they no longer use and accept products that other people are getting rid of. The range of products available is vast.

Finally, find deals and discounts and save money by comparing prices at the multiple sites that offer this option.

• Price Grabber
• Froogle

Remember that you don't always have to buy things either. You can always repurpose items you already own. Make your own furniture or even wall decor. You can even make eco-friendly homemade cleaners. So you save not only money, but the environment as well. 

 Always have plenty of clean spray bottles on hand to mix your own homemade clears. ALWAYS label the contents clearly on the bottle.

Copyright 2009 by Alisha Vargas

Also, always check for coupons before buying anything from a retail store. Check the retailer's Facebook or Twitter page if they have one. 

 Always look for coupon codes before you purchase anything online. There are quite a few out there for almost every site.

Copyright 2012 by MedithIT

Also look for coupons on sites that offer both print coupons and coupon codes to use online. I can't tell you how much I've save my checking for discounts and coupons on these sites before buying. There are too many to list, but my favorite is Retail Me Not. 

 If you have other ideas or suggestions, please feel free to share them here. Also, feel free to take my Home Staging Survey to let me know what you'd like to see more of here and in my articles.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR RESOURCES FOR STAGING YOUR HOME? HERE ARE MY PICKS FOR A FEW BOOKS, MAGAZINES, AND TV SHOWS

When you’re looking for ideas for staging your home, from cleaning to organizing and de-cluttering to painting and accessorizing, try these, which are some favorites. Most apply to whether you are selling on your own or using an agent. If there are additional resources that are need for FSBOs, I will include them as well.

 

Books can be extremely helpful resources, both for the information and the photos.
Copyright 2013 by Kristen DiNobile

BOOKS

• How to Sell Your Home in Any Market: 6 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling … And What You Can Do to Fix Them by Loren Keim 
• Home Staging in Tough Times by Barbara Jennings  
• 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Now and For More Money Than You Thought: How to Inexpensively Reorganize, Stage, and Prepare Your Home for Sale By Teri B. Clark How to Sell A House Fast in a Slow Real Estate Market: A 30-Day Plan for Motivated Sellers by William Bronchick

The Conplete Idiot’s Guide to Selling Your Home by Katie Severen

Home Makeovers That Sell by Sid Davis

Designed to Sell: Make Any Home the Hottest Property on the Block with Expert Advice from the Popular HGTV Series by HGTV

Selling Your House: The Secrets You Need to Know by Madeline Botts Meixner

Sabrina Soto also has a great book that just came out. While it's not geared towards staging, there is lots of information you can use for staging your home. Here's the info for that:
Sabrina Soto Home Design: A Layer-by-Layer Approach to Turning Your Ideas into the Home of Your Dreams

 

 

 

Magazines are also a great resource for staging ideas. 

 Copyright 2013 by Kristen DiNobile

MAGAZINES

• HGTV Magazine
• Better Homes & Gardens
• Martha Stewart Living
• DIY Magazine
• Coastal Living
• This Old House
• Fine Gardening
• Horticulture

I didn’t include links because I would recommend checking prices in three major places. Sometimes they are about the same price, but sometimes there are drastic differences and other times, sites may contain special offers. Check Amazon.com, Magazines.com, and the magazine’s site, which is that of the publisher.

WEBSITES

• Better Homes & Gardens
• HGTV: offers several useful sites
  • HGTV
  • HGTV’s Front Door
  • HGTV Gardens
  • HGTV Remodels
• DIY Network
• Pinterest
• Style with Comfort (which also offers free newsletters)
• Zillow
• Trulia
• Realtor.com

You may have noticed that I did not include any associations or organizations for stagers in my list of websites. Read about the reasons for this in Becoming a Home Stager. This is one of the many questions I get asked. To read a few more, take a look at Frequent Staging Questions

TV SHOWS

I recommend both staging shows and decorating shows because you can get ideas from any type of decorating show. Some are more useful than other. I’ll be honest that I am not as familiar with the shows on DIY Network. I don’t get that channel and it's only available with another package for a hefty increase in price. But I would love to get it. As soon as I can get Verizon Fios, I will and I'll have that channel! Lots of times, shows from DIY Network are run on HGTV again.

Even shows for home buying, like House Hunters, can be helpful. You can see what buyers are seeing as they preview homes. This will help you stage your own home. You can make sure you’re home doesn’t contain those elements you didn’t like on the homes you saw on TV. Most of these are on HGTV and a few from TLC on the bottom. Some are older shows but they still play reruns, so I included them as well. I didn’t include links because all you need to do is go to HGTV and click the top menu bar tab that says “TV”. The TV drop down menu has a tab for “Shows” and then if you look in that box you will see a choice for “All Shows”. Do the same for TLC.

HGTV

• Buying and Selling
• Candace Tells All
• Curb Appeal
• Design on a Dime
• Designed to Sell
• Get it Sold
• HGTV’d
• House Hunters
• House Hunters Renovation
• Meg’s Great Rooms
• Property Virgins
• Real Estate Intervention
• Staged to Sell
• Staging Secrets and Myths (this was a special program but I have seen reruns of it at times)
• The High Low Project
• The Unsellables

TLC

• Stager Invasion
• Sell This House
• Sell This House Extreme

Of course this is just a limited list and I also include resources in many of my other blog entries and articles. Look for more resources in future pieces.

HAVING TROUBLE CHOOSING STAGING COLORS? TRY CHIP IT BY SHERWIN WILLIAMS

I love this fairly new tool, Chip It! by Sherwin Williams. You either upload a picture you have in your computer, or a URL, and the tool will pull out the top colors in the photo and match them to colors offered by Sherwin Williams. Yes, it is free. I love Sherwin Williams and Behr from Home Depot, but if you are dedicated to another paint manufacturer, you can always take it there and have them do a color match of the results you got. There are other sites that offer this type of tool, but I like Chip It! the best.

Here are five examples that I did. Now keep in mind, not all of these would be the best for staging. Many of them could work as long as you use the brighter or darker colors for accents, accessories, wall decor, or in small doses. These are just examples that show what the program does.

You’ll see the picture on the left, along with the suggested colors on the right. Some photos allow you to hit a button on the bottom for a few more colors too. If you upload a photo that doesn’t have too many colors, you many only get 3 color options. Most photos come back with 5.

Now, keep in mind that if you like the general colors returned, but they are a little dark for your taste or for staging, find that color's paint strip and select a color a big farther up on the strip (which will be lighter). You don’t need to use all the colors. These are just ideas. And if you see dark browns or black, or other neutrals, remember that those could correspond to the metals in fixtures or hardware, or the floors, trim, and furniture. It could also be the color of the stone or brick in your home. So remember to keep that in mind when you’re putting together palettes. Don’t forget about these permanent features in your home. And if you want to learn how to use neutrals, read about Sabrina Soto. She loves using neutrals and even has a list of her favorites.

Chip It Picture Number 1: Green Glofish.
The black could be accents like black iron lamps, etc. The lightest green could be a wall color, the white for moldings and other trim. Then you can use Laudable Lime for an accent wall or for accessories to get a monochromatic look or use the Regatta as an accent color if you want a different look. Or use them in another way that fits you better.


Chip It Picture Number 2: Staged Dining Room
This is actually a staged room that I entered to see what the color palette would be. I wanted to show you in reverse how it works. Of course, colors aren’t exact. You can see the browns are for the rug and furniture, along with the basket and ceiling fan. The Scanda is the accent wall, while Lazy Gray corresponds to the curtains and the right wall (which is the color on the rest of the walls in that room as well.) The tool didn’t pick up the green from the plants, but they work with any color.


Chip It Picture Number 3: Air Purifying Houseplants

This is a great gray and green palette with white. Gleeful would work for walls or North Star would work too. Saguaro could be used for one accent wall, as well as some other accents or accessories. Dovetail could be used as the accent wall color and for accessories if you used North Star for the walls. And of course you can mix and match these colors. They all work together.


Chip It Picture #4: A beautiful outdoor space.

This palette comes across as blues and browns, with accents of black, which you can always use with any palette, as can white be used anytime. You can go lighter on the paint chip if you think these colors are a bit too strong for you. Also see in the picture how greens and a deep red would work as accents, even though Chip It didn’t pick up these colors because they weren’t prominent.


Chip It Picture #5: A gorgeous ceiling

This is an example of a neutral palette, but one where you might want to find the paint chips and pick some of the lighter shades on the strip. Keep one of the darker ones for accents. Or, for a small room that won’t ever look bigger, go with it and make it cozy by painting the wall in the Copper Mountain. This is great for a small powder room or a cozy library. And yes, it is okay to do this for staging.


Overall, here are some tips when using this tool:

• You don’t have to use all the colors.
• You can add other colors.
• You can find the color on the paint strip and go lighter or darker, depending on your needs.
• If you have a picture you want to use but don’t like parts of it, just crop out the parts you don’t want to include before uploading to the site.

A great way to use this feature is to upload a picture of the room as it is right now and see what the tool comes up with. You might find colors you never noticed or options you never would have considered.Finally, have fun. This is just one example of how you can find your staging color palette. If you have additional questions or would like to see a topic covered in more detail, please email me or take my Home Staging Survey