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 open 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 recently. 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.

Buyer Beware: Don't Trust the Signs

$899,950
4 bedroom, 3.5 bath
3,195 square feet

I wrote this blog post a few weeks ago. The blog entry wrote itself furiously fast, then I carelessly hit delete instead of post. I've tried to re-create those original words to the best of my memory, and I present it here:

Today's open house was gargantuan in comparison to the homes I've been visiting. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. The ad claimed the home was over 3,000 square feet, however the size didn't hit me until I actually visited the home.

A steep staircase carried me from the driveway to the front door above. I opened the heavy door and found an entry way littered with shoes. New carpet had been laid and the realtor asked all visitors to remove their foot wear. I donned my sweet baby blue booties and started my trek.

Off of the recently remodeled kitchen one could peer down into the neighbor's pool below. It felt odd and somewhat wrong to stare, the neighbor had zero privacy. The view toward the pool was slightly obstructed by an old arbor with dead vines. As I stared out the sliding glass door toward the pool, a sign taped to the door caught my eye. The sign read: "neighbor plans to remove and rebuild arbor." Buyer beware: you should never buy a house with the promise of what a neighbor might do in the future.

This sign turned out the be the first of many odd signs hung about the house. Some were taped to the wall haphazardly, while others were presented in thick stylish black frames and hung with hammer and nail. I couldn't decide if I liked the the entire signage concept.  Besides signs promising what a neighbor might do in the future, other signs talked of a room's potential or a space for a future laundry room (even through the house already had one). There was also a 'Do Not Enter' sign taped across the doorway into the garage which wasn't right at an Open House.

Considering all the signs, this Open House seemed to be offered as if it were still under construction or a model home on the subdivision tract where developers are trying to sell empty lots, however this home was neither of those. The home was finished and inhabited by a family so the signs did not help, but hindered my visit of the large home. 

Wet Cat Food on a Wet Day

Earlier this month I was invited to be a guest contributor to the mortgage website BeSmartee. It was my first hurrah away from my home blog. The column I wrote was easy advice for hosting open houses entitled "10 Things You Shouldn't Do When Holding An Open House", or simply Open House Dont's.

This past weekend I visited two open houses and through my visits could add two more tips to my Open House Don'ts: don't leave out wet cat food and don't hover.

Wet Cat Food
I've been to many open houses where I've encountered cats. I typically get one stern look from the cat as it scurries off under a bed or behind a piece of furniture. The run-ins are quick and harmless.The first open house I visited on Sunday had a warning taped to the front door. The rumpled piece of paper dampened by the rain put visitors on notice that cats were in residence and were not to be let outside.

I entered on alert for the cats. The felines never appeared through the entire visit, but what hit me the moment I walked into the house and stayed with me after I left was to smell of wet cat food. If one were to list scents that are objectionable, wet cat food is quite high along with fish, onions and dirty socks. The house looked like it had new carpets, but I could only smell the cat food. These particular cats were well loved in the home and had water dishes and food bowls in multiple rooms. The home owners may be great pet owners, but the food bowls should have been emptied and cleaned in favor of the three hour open house.

Hovering Realtors
I mentioned in my BeSmartee column that you want prospective buyers to feel free

to roam your house and open closets and kitchen cabinets. A realtor hovering and following one from room to room does not put a buyer at ease. The second home I visited on Sunday was empty, and I was the only one visiting the house on the rainy Sunday. The realtor followed me from room to room questioning my interest in the house. I know it's rude to spend time on your smart phone while in the company of others, but I would've felt better if he stayed in the front room and with on his phone rather than hovering.

Amenities and the Open House

My Sunday was spent at a volleyball tournament out of town. I thought at one point I could sneak out to see an Open House or two, but my daughter played too many matches and the outing never materialized. As I drove back toward Sonoma, I wondered what my blog post would feature since I had missed the inspiration in the weekly Open House. With my daughter sleeping in the backseat, I thought about all the homes I've visited. What made the good ones memorable versus meh? I figured it out. The thing that made an Open House memorable was the amenity.

The dictionary defines an amenity as: something that makes life easier or more pleasant. So yes, the amenity or thing that made the house more pleasant was what made a home memorable. Early in the 20th century, indoor plumbing or electricity were amenities, but as we have modernized our amenities have changed and become truly luxurious. Below is a list of amenities I've seen:

-Swimming pool       -Bocce Ball court                -Artist Studio
-Sauna                     -Hot Tub                            -Tennis Court
-Outdoor Kitchen     -Fire pit                             -Wine Cellar/cave
-Koi Pond                 -Game Room                      -Bonus Room

By Vic Brincat from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

The most common amenity is the swimming pool. While I do live in California, I do not live in the warm coastal region, but the cooler wine growing region. A realtor friend of mine told me that swimming pools are not seen as amenities in this cooler climate. While I hear his words, I honestly feel a bit happier and more relaxed in those homes where aqua waters beckon in the backyard. A pool makes a home feel like a small resort and everyone likes a resort living.

Game rooms are probably the next most common amenity I've seen. I only count them as such when they are a separate living space above a garage or detached from the house. When a home owner has converted a dining room to a game room, I never see it as an amenity, but instead a smaller house.

The bonus room is tricky. Realtors seemed to call it a bonus room when the space is not something that could be permitted as living space. I've seen rooms in sub-floors with ceilings that top out at 5 feet and stair cases roughed into attic areas. I would never call these types of bonus rooms amenities. The only time I would call a bonus room an amenity is when a prospective buyer could actually use the room, stand in it and feel comfortable. Low ceilings or nails poking in from the roof are not bonus rooms but should simply be labeled storage areas.

By Exscape Designs (Own work)

Outdoor kitchens seem to be gaining in popularity. The ever present backyard grill has matured and is now joined by a counter top and outdoor fridge with a seating area. Sometimes these outdoor kitchens are custom built and other times they are large pieces purchased from a home improvement store. Like the swimming pool, the outdoor kitchen screams resort living and can be enjoyed by all ages.

I look forward to next weekend and lining up my Open House visits. Perhaps my amenity list will grown. In the meantime, tell me: what is your favorite amenity?

The Oscars & The Big Short

It was Oscar night last night. I watched, because I always do. I love the pageantry and pretty dresses.  In other years, I've seen many, if not all the nominated movies. This year was different, however. Of the eight movies nominated for Best Picture, I had seen one: The Big Short. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie for a quick lesson in the collapse of the housing market circa 2008. When I saw the movie on Christmas Day, I cried. It cut too close. Yes, I lived through the housing crisis and yes I kept my home, but my husband and I both worked in land development and suffered lay-offs and pay reductions. We survived, but it hurt.

Last night when The Big Short was introduced as a nominee and a clip of the movie played, I cried again. I felt the loss and pain of those people who lost everything, lost the American dream they worked so hard to purchase. Yesterday was especially poignant because I had an Open House first. I visited a home that was being sold as part of a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. I was not greeted at the door by a realtor eager to make a sale, but a representative from the bank. He did not know anything about the house, and encouraged my husband and I to look around.

Most Open Houses I see are trying hard to be sold, with freshly planted flowers, paint, and snacks for the prospective buyers. But this home looked like those Floridian homes depicted in The Big Short. The life of the inhabitants had been stopped midstream. There was lunch half prepared on the counter and the bathroom looked like somebody was still primping themselves before the mirror. In other words, the people who lived there looked like they were home and I was an intruder. 

The man from the bank complained that the owners were not being compliant or cooperative. I felt sorry for the man trying to have the Open House, but I also felt bad for the owners. The house looked loved and also looked like it was working hard to raise a good family. It did not want to be sold. Whose fault is it? The bank for making a bad loan or the homeowners for not meeting the terms of the loan? After seeing The Big Short it seems like the blame could be placed before the lender, perhaps the loan was too easy to acquire. I thought the collapse of the housing market was over, but after my day yesterday, I just don't know. 

I usual enjoy the Oscars because the show takes me away from my day to day. I get to sip a nice drink and watch movie stars in action. Yesterday, however that did not happen. My day at the Open House followed by the scenes from The Big Short were too close together, and an unpleasant reality set in.

To Stage or not to Stage

The sun was out, the sky was blue and  I visited four open houses this past Sunday. Two of the homes were from the post WWII era (1949 and 1948), one from the 1950's and one from the 1960's. The four Open Houses were in various states of showing, one had been flipped and staged, one was empty, one looked to be a shared rental and one had been de-cluttered and mildly staged with personal belongings.

Before and after some staging

Staging seems to be all the rage, but I must say from visiting the four homes, the house which had only been staged in the living rooms and  dining room seemed to have the least soul. When a developer builds a model home and has an interior designer decorate the inside, there are still remnants that remind one of real life such as trophies in the child's bedroom or a grocery list artfully placed in the kitchen. The model homes feel real and one can imagine living in them. A half staged home absent of what would be visible in real life leaves one empty. The home half staged on Sunday was the home built in the 1950's and recently remodeled for a flip. I walked through and was not grabbed or enticed by anything I saw. 

The two homes built in the late 1940's were opposite in states of showing. One was empty, the other was not polished or Open House ready. The empty home was absolutely darling. The kitchen had black and white tile with original cabinetry off of a dining room with a built in hutch. It seems that at some point in time an owner added a sun porch on the back of the house. Although it was empty, something about the home had charm. If I were in the market, it would be desirable. The home looking like a shared rental taught me that it is imperative to prepare for an Open House. If those that lived in the house had put some things away or stored some furniture in the garage, it may have been easier to imagine the charm. The great room was great, but everything feel apart after that.

A small reminder of
family life helps buyers see
themselves in the home

The last home I visited was a single story ranch home built when ranches were the rage. From the moment I walked in the door, I could tell the owner had undertaken some serious de-cluttering. The house was clean without too much of anything anywhere. There was evidence of toddlers living in the home, but just enough to help one envision this home as a family home. Perfect.

Of the four houses visited, the clean ranch home was in the best state of showing and had the most emotional impact. Purchasing a home is an emotional decision. You want the people visiting to have an attachment the moment they walk in the door. If they are distracted by clutter, or not attracted by functional staging, there is not impact and thus no sale. If I had to show an Open House, I would either show it empty or show it clean with small reminders how life is should be lived.

For more observations and tips on Open House Don'ts, please see my guest blog post.

Old is New in Marin

$2,195,000 

5 Bedroom, 4 Bath
2,860 square feet

I hit the road today and found myself looking at Open Houses in Marin County. For those unfamiliar with the Bay Area, Marin County is the county immediately north of the Golden Gate Bridge. And as one gets closer to the Golden Gate, real estate prices increase, thus the houses today were in the $2 million range. 

There were two beautiful victorian homes in the Historic Forbes Neighborhood of San Rafael, just a few steps from one another. One home had been completely restored back to its 1889 grandeur complete with antique radiators under each window. Speaking in full hyperbole, the realtor bragged it was one of "the best restored homes in all the Bay Area." I admired each room and walked on.

'Fully modern make over' is the term to best describe the second home on the walking tour. The bathrooms and kitchen were fashioned after what is hot now: marble counter tops, sunflower shower heads, and a Japanese style bathtub. This home had once been the neighborhood eyesore and a contractor purchased it and worked hard to turn the home into something with numerous wow factors.

The 2016 version of a 1960's fixture

The first wow was the light in the front entry way. Orbital and starlike, the light begged for attention. I saw the inspiration for this light fixture last year when I visited an estate in the hills above Sonoma Valley. The estate of Dot and Bill had been built in the 1960's and nothing had been touched or modernized since. I eagerly snapped photos of the wallpaper, light fixtures and patterned carpet, like a museum employee cataloging Brutalist architecture. One light fixture in particular kept my attention for days after the Open House; the same starlike light. The stark and bare fixture flooded light in all directions, like a solar flare. The brass fixture stood over a room of shag carpet with blue and green shapes imitating the earth as if the room were a world unto itself. I sent a picture of the light to my father to prove I had traveled back to the 1960's that day.

I

The original 1960's light fixture

magine my amazement when I found this same light in the entry way of the thoroughly modern makeover in Marin. The Forbes home had been built in 1900, so the light fixture was not there to signify the home's historic past, but perhaps a place holder in between 1900 and 2016.

Beware of Dog

$1,175.000 (3 bedroom, 3 bath)
1,716 Square Feet

On Saturday I ventured to the hills above Sonoma to look at a near million dollar home that I thought would be fabulously fun to write about. The posting for the open house read: owner died in home in 2016. Being January 2016 meant the owner had only been gone a short while. I wanted to see if I could feel the spirit or see any trace of the other world. I did not. The house was too sweet and cared for and the realtor has an relationship with the deceased. It felt best to not write any more and leave the recently departed at peace.

I drove away with my friend in tow. She had pointed out an Open House on our way to the Sonoma home and thought we should stop in. The listing had not been on my radar which made me curious.

The driveway for the home was an abrupt turn from Sonoma Highway. Up a short driveway a decorative wrought iron gate stood half-opened. It was not clear if we were welcome; a fully opened gate would have been more desirable. A dirt road rutted and muddied by the winter's rain forked as we descended a small hill, the garage and home were to the right and an unofficial parking area sat left.

I parked and observed all Open House signs had disappeared. Was the house really open? The warning signs caught my attention next. The classic 'Beware of Dog' sign had been tacked on a pole near my car and at another location in the distance. It suddenly felt like a "Scooby-Doo" episode. My friend warily walked on, "Hello?" she yelled.

Thankfully a man who I assumed was the realtor appeared. "Is the house open?" I asked as we approached the front door. 

"Yes of course!" He greeted, then rapidly told us the home's stats. As he spoke a dog barked. My friend and I both looked around as the kind realtor spoke. He was not phased by the barking dog.

I couldn't concentrate on one word the realtor spoke because the barking would not stop. "Come in, Come in," he begged.

The dog sounded too close to move any further. I asked, "Is the dog in the house?"

"No, no. The dog's under the house." He waved his hand toward an ankle level vent. It was now obvious where the barking came from. My friend and I now felt comfortable and entered the home. 

The house with glazed orange ceramic tile floors was open and the kitchen seemed modern enough. Some of the beds had not been made which was odd for an Open House. 

A redwood lined creek in the backyard was the property's highlight. The homeowner had poured a large concrete slab between the home and the creek; one could easily envision joyous outdoor parties in this scenic local.

As the three of us chatted on the rear deck. The realtor started pointing out the property boundaries and an old barn, I looked off to my left. A mean German Sheppard-like dog glared at the three of us standing on the deck. The realtor kept talking, and soon the dog appear off to my right, still leering and now growling under its breath.

I had seen enough. My friend and I thanked the realtor for his time and said good-bye.

"I'm trying to talk the owner into dropping the price," he yelled after us as we sprinted to the car, now aware there was a dog on the property and he apparently didn't like hosting an Open House.

Flash Sale

$639,000 (3 bedrooms, 2 bath)1,680 Square Feet

When I started this Open House blog, my intention was to produce one entry a week. I look at open houses on Sundays and could commit to writing a blog post soon after. But today, I happened upon a flash sale. It was a dreary Tuesday morning. The sun did not want to come out and the cold nipped. I did something I hate doing and went to Costco. Surprisingly Costco was a dream and I was out of there with my eggs, milk and other unforeseeables in less than 30 minutes.

At a major intersection near my home I saw numerous 'Open House' A-frame signs screaming to be noticed. It was a Tuesday, not a Sunday so the number of signs was unnecessary, but worked.With my new commitment in mind I followed the signs and found an open house to peruse.

The house had little curb appeal. The color was nondescript and the circa 1960's ranch home seemed blah (or as my kids later said 'meh'). This turned out not to matter however, because the home's true appeal was the huge backyard with a beautiful outdoor kitchen complete with a barbecue, fire-place and ample counter space protected by timber beams wrapped in canvas. Beyond the outdoor kitchen the yard stretched left and right with a flagstone steps that lead to another outdoor living room. An orange tree sat heavy with fruit at one end of the yard and red hens protected by a quaint hen house stood at the other. The yard was huge (and marvelous).

The price and unusual day for the open house begged the question. Why today? Why so much? My friend was with me and asked. "Because they're under contract to buy another home and need to sell." Was the answer. While it was not called a flash sale, it felt like one. The listing even called it a 'hot' home meaning: this will sell fast! Don't delay in making an offer. The home on Rancho de Sauna was a 'hot' home, but was not identified as such. Perhaps 'hot' is in the eye of the realtor or the home owner wanting it to be so.

I did learn something new on this Open House Tuesday. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies do not overpower the smell of new carpet and paint. I literally saw the realtor take the cookies from the oven and chatted with him as he plated the fresh baked treat and I could not smell a thing; odd but true. Perhaps baking cookies should only be a trick used when the home owner has not spent money to paint and re-carpet.