Howto set the stage for a successful open home
If potential buyers have to take time off work and can’t find a parking spot, they might hate your home before they even get though the door, writes Pattie Pegler.
Doing a round of open homes is an almost obligatory weekend activity for any house hunter.
For sellers, throwing open the doors means you can get a lot of people through in a short time frame, rather than having to tidy up for several individual viewings scattered throughout the week.
But when should you run them, how many should you run, and what goes into making a successful open home in this tougher market?
We talked to real estate agents around the country to find out.
Timing matters
The perfect slot for an open home balances the times when the vendor wants to have their space to themselves, and the experience of the potential buyers, says Wellington real estate agent Erin Rush.
‘‘People may have a particular routine, or work night shifts or have school-age children, so open home times have to work for them,’’ she says.
Some city properties may be hard to get to at certain times of day – perhaps parking is difficult, or local events cause congestion.
‘‘If potential buyers turn up at midday, can’t find a parking space and have to walk in the rain to the property, the chances are they’ll be so frustrated they’ll already hate the place,’’ says Rush.
Canterbury-based real estate agent Brooke Azzopardi says weekends can be trickier than you think. ‘‘We try to avoid Saturdays, particularly for family homes. There’s kids’ sports and things like that,’’ she says.
‘‘We do always think of the target market, so if it’s a twobedroom unit and we’re marketing to more mature people, we will aim for earlier in the day.’’
What about the property?
In Waikato, real estate agent Neville Jacques sells a lot in the rural market. He tends to hold lifestyle block open homes on Sundays, but for large rural properties, it’s a different approach.
‘‘We tend to programme them for a time to suit farmers, during the week and not during milking times or on sales days.’’
Some homes do show better at certain times of day, for instance if there is great afternoon sun on the balcony or a view that’s particularly highlighted at a certain time of day. But again, it’s about balance, says Jacques.
‘‘If there’s beautiful morning sun in the kitchen that’s good, but you’re not going to get many people through an open home at nine in the morning.’’
Open homes can work in lunch hours, weekends and even weekday summer evenings depending on the property. And while bad weather can mean fewer people through, you can’t always second guess it, says Azzopardi, who has stood in her gumboots running an open home on a snowy Canterbury lifestyle block and counted tens of people through.
‘‘People don’t just stop buying homes in winter,’’ she says.
Howmuch is too much?
When it comes to how many open homes to run, views can vary.
Jacques says in the rural residential market, many of the active buyers will come through in the first couple of open homes.
In Wellington it’s different, says Rush.
‘‘There’s no ‘too many’ in my book,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s about giving buyers choice, particularly in this market.’’
But whether they hold four or 10 open homes, most of the agents agree it’s better to have a short, busy session than let things run on too long.
Rick Mozessohn, who sells real estate in Auckland, sticks to a 30-minute window for his open homes and starts them on the hour, usually between 11am and 3pm.
The finishing touches
The agents agree that one absolute key to preparing an open home is to declutter. So no jackets thrown on the dining room chairs or dusty ornaments squeezed onto shelves.
Instead, clear the kitchen counter, plump up the couch cushions and move the dog’s bed out of sight.
‘‘It’s the same with sheds and outbuildings,’’ says Jacques in Waikato. ‘‘People like to see things looking tidy and orderly – tidiness is the big thing.’’
Most agents agree that for those who struggle to present their homes or for empty properties, staging can be a real help. For Mozessohn, an open home is all about creating a good experience.
‘‘I run all my open homes along the same lines, regardless of whether it’s a prestige home or amore moderate property,’’ he says. ‘‘Everyone puts out signs and advertises online, but I always think ‘what else can we do?’’’
With this in mind, he always has two agents at his open homes – one at the front door to greet and take details, and another one inside to answer any queries.
He makes sure there is a table laid out with property information and music from a tailor-made playlist is designed to relax visitors, as well as ensuring they don’t have to walk around a silent house talking in awkward, muted whispers.
Scented candles, lights on and curtains and blinds open all add to the finishing touches.