10 Open House Don'ts

I'm an avid collector of Open House visits. Any weekend you will find me somewhere in Sonoma County touring Open Homes. Through this hobby, I've witnessed many Open Houses done right and a handful of missteps which could cost a potential sale. Please read the Open House Don't Tips below and pass along to your realtor friends.

Open House Don't #1
Do not leave your dog at home. 
Please pay to kennel your dog or take fido to a friend's house. Dogs like to protect their domain. You want Open House visitors to fell free to roam your property and open doors. A nervous or feisty dog about the premises will not help you close any deal. 

Open House Don't #2 
Do not leave prescription medication out.
It is something that shouldn't have to be said, but I have seen this more than once. Homeowners leave their prescription medication lined up on the bathroom counter. It may be okay in your daily life, but leaving out your medication out to the public may invite theft or disclose a sensitive medical condition. Stash your medication in a shoe box, drawer or take it with you in a zip lock bag. 

Open House Don't #3
Do not ignore the floor. 
In other words, vacuum. I realize replacing the carpet maybe a financial stretch for some homeowners, but please do not host any Open House without vacuuming the carpets and sweeping out the corners (steaming the carpets would be great as well, but vacuum at a minimum). There is nothing more off-putting than carpets with ages of dust and lint on top. If something as simple as floor maintenance has not occurred, prospective buyers may wonder what other home improvements have been left undone.

Open House Don't #4
Don't bother baking cookies
Baking cookies is a tool that realtors learned long ago. What is more homey than the smell of freshly baked cookies? If the scent of cookies taps into your emotional attachment of home, then your are instantly more interested as a buyer. BUT I must point out, if you've recently installed new carpet or painted the interior walls, the fumes from these synthetic materials will cancel any cookie aroma. Offer cookies as a snack if you wish, but the act of baking is not necessary.

Open House Don't #5
Don't light too many candles 
A candle lit in the kitchen or bathroom is customary and perhaps pleasant. The key here is not to light too many candles. A candle lit in every room will alarm buyers. What are you trying to hide? The smell of mildew? Pets? If so work on those problems first with a deep clean or new paint. Do not expect candles burning in every room to hide your home's flaws.

Open House Don't #6
Don't take your own pictures

The minute you list your house for sale and advertise an Open House, links to the ppen house and pictures of your home are instantly available to the world. If you want heavy traffic at your Open House, you must make the best first impression possible. Dimly lit pictures or pictures with dirty dishes or laundry baskets will keep people away. A professional photographer will know how to angle the shots to get the best view of each room. The photographer will shoot around your everyday life (i.e. dirty dishes) so that your house is 'picture perfect'. 

Open House Don't #7
Don't cancel on account of the weather

If you have a beautiful Better Homes & Gardens type house, priced to sell, the weather will not keep prospective buyers away. This was the case with one Open House I saw reccently. It was pouring down rain but yet it was one of the busiest open houses I've ever visited. I later found out that the owner received six written offers on the house.

Open House Don't #8
Don't stay home

Again this is something that shouldn't have to be said, but I've experienced it twice. Once the homeowner sat in the front room chatting with the realtor, and the other time the homeowner sat and worked at his desk. Just as with the advice not to leave your dog at home, don't stay at home during an Open House. People will not feel free to roam your house and really look. They will feel hurried and uncomfortable; traits you don't want prospective buyers to feel. Hire a realtor you trust and let them be the watchful eye of the property, never feel you have to do it yourself.

Open House Don't #9

Don't require people to sign in

If your realtor would like to build their list of prospective buyers in the future then having to sign in list is fine. The key here is to not make signing in mandatory. People are shopping for homes and you want them to feel comfortable enough to have an immediate attachment with the house. Being questioned and required to sign your name or fill out a form is off-putting. I went to one open house where I was required to sign in. After I signed the realtor and picked up the board and questioned the exact spelling of my name and confirmed my phone number. At this particular open house I was told it was for security purposes. I found the explanation odd because the home looked like nobody lived in it.

Open House Don't #10

Don't forget to flush the toilets
There's no need for a lot of detail here. Just consider this a gentle reminder to make one last sweep through the house as before you leave on Open House day. Your young child may have used the bathroom and forgot the all important flush. 

Style and a Neighbor's Open House

When your neighbors have an open house, what do you do?

 You go.

My next-door neighbors recently had an open house and I couldn't keep myself from it. I didn't want to look too eager thus did not show up the minute the open house signs were erected, however I was somewhat punctual. 

I liked being the neighbor at the open house. The realtor asked me about my interest in the property, and as soon as I said, "I'm a neighbor." The realtor moved on to other house hunters and I perused in peace. My viewing was so peaceful, that I may use the "I'm a neighbor" refrain more frequently.

Source: Wikipedia

After numerous open houses over the past two years, I can say my neighbors were absolutely ready for an open house. They had cleaned, de-cluttered and staged somewhat. The one thing that troubled me with the open house, however, was the home's interior style.

Because of catalogs like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and websites like Pinterest, modern homes all start to look the same. For better or for worse the sameness quality immediately draws one to a house, because what you are seeing is familiar.  

My neighbors house wasn't picture-perfect. They had remodeled the kitchen and had bought new furniture, but it wasn't what is in fashion today. This oddity of style impacted my impression of the home and I am sure many other visitors as well. Other homes in my neighborhood have gone into contract within a week of being on the market this home did not and I can only blame it on style or taste, because everything else about the house was right.

I recently talked to a realtor about putting my home on the market. He immediately talked about having a professional stager come in and stage our house while all of our belongings went into storage. I was dumbfounded by such a comment. The realtor obviously didn't know about my open house past-time, but beyond that I couldn't imagine putting everything I own in storage and then living with borrowed furniture while I waited for my home to be sold. Is this the price to pay for selling real estate or is it only the price to pay if you want to sell real estate fast?

My neighbors home finally went into contract. It sat on the market three times longer than other homes in the neighborhood. So, does style matter? Only if you want to sell your home lightning fast.

First Time on the Market!

$659,000
3 bedroom, 2 bath
1,555 square feet

"First Time on the Market!" read the opening words from the real estate ad. The homes in this particular neighborhood were all of the 1960's vintage, and from the pictures on the website I could tell the home was in it's original state. I had to visit.

The home appeared average from the curb. What was not average, however, was the love and care given to the home in 55 years of ownership.The first clue of superb care: pocket doors. In 1966, pocket doors were the rage. It was a simple way to block off rooms of the house so ruckus adults could cocktail in the front while precious children slept in the back. The doors also streamlined rooms and made bathroom quarters more private. I once lived in a vintage 1960's home (which had had several owners before me), and most the pocket doors had been removed and sheet rocked over. The one door that remained was sticky on its tracks and sometimes didn't like to move. I attributed the stickiness to the age of the door, never tired to fix it, and just lived with it. I was wrong.

The house yesterday had numerous pocket doors and they all slid along their tracks as perfectly as the day they were installed. I marveled as I slid the first door back and forth. This simple example showed me that when something is well made and you take care of it, it will always take care of you.

After obsessing with the pocket doors I wandered into the kitchen. It too was model home 1966 perfect. There were Formica counter-tops complete with flecks of glitter and the

original cabinets had been painted in two tones to enhance their sleek styling. I recognized the stove from my childhood; a GE push button stove. It was not stained nor in any ill-repair, but again lovingly maintained so it could aid in nourishing the people who lived there.

In my tour of Open Houses, I've seen many remodeled homes with the latest gadgetry and trends (i.e. kitchen islands and granite). This home reminded me that there is beauty in working to maintain what you have. In our society we are pushed to think having the newest item is the goal. The home I visited yesterday reminded me that maintaining and cherishing what one has should be the goal.