Open houses abound in the spring. Home buyers start mapping their routes on sunny spring Sundays, deciding how to navigate through neighborhoods and a wide spectrum of houses.

Owners, meanwhile, are making last-minute preparations hoping for one ready, willing and able buyer to become enamored with their home that very afternoon. Sometimes offers to purchase come at open houses.

It is fun to hear about people sitting around the kitchen table writing up a contract to purchase a home at a Sunday open house. But what typically happens is that a variety of visitors come and go leaving the homeowner feeling confused and frazzled.

Just this past month, we drove to my nieces wedding in California. We were on the road both coming and going on Sundays. I was on vacation and excited about seeing relatives but as soon as I saw that sandwich board with bright red letters saying OPEN HOUSE I made a U-turn.

Mark reminded me that we had time constraints and that I was supposed to be taking time away from real estate. I was already headed to the front door as he was speaking. Then I realized that the person in the home was probably getting excited. I quickly introduced myself and explained that I was previewing for my niece. In just 10 minutes I learned a lot about that home and prices in the area. I left as a family was just coming in.

Potential buyers bring their young children to open houses. Having homemade chocolate chip cookies on hand doesn’t hurt. They may even ask if they can let their barking dog run in your back yard for a bit. They insist they will clean up any messes and want to see if your backyard works for their whole family. And there is always someone who needs to use your bathroom. People come to open houses for a wide range of reasons. You should prepare for the onslaught and hope for the incoming hordes. It is a good thing.

After spending a winter or more tidying up their homes, depersonalizing rooms, painting and deep cleaning, a seller will hopefully decide that its finally time to open up their home to prospective buyers.

The thought of inviting strangers into their personal space can be intimidating but sellers know they have to let people inside. Someone should prime them that no place is sacred. Visitors will open every closet, look at every picture and see what they keep under the bathroom sink. An open house can take the edge off of starting the selling process. It also helps get buyers excited.

Usually people hire professionals to organize and run an open house. It’s almost impossible not to take comments personally and a hired person will know how to explain observations from visitors.

Who wants to hear snippy comments about their curtains and bathroom floors from total strangers? But it helps to understand that a laundry room in the basement is a deterrent to some buyers. A homeowner will decrease the stress of selling if they let someone else take the lead in letting people view their home.
An added worry is who is coming to this open house? Sellers complain that people are just being nosy when they make it a habit of going to Sunday open houses.

While this may be true about some visitors, for many of the others streaming through their home this is an important part of the home buying process. The buyer may not even be present. Their friends, family or real estate agent may be looking for them and reporting back just like I was doing in California.

People get particularly annoyed when they hear that neighbors have come by. It is important to understand that residents nearby are some of the best resources in selling a home.

People love their neighborhoods. Residents can be the best marketers for you.

They may even be thinking about a different home for themselves. When they see your home for sale, they realize that they may be able to stay in the same vicinity.

Home needs change and a space that was once large enough can feel constrained. Or just the reverse, a house and yard may feel too cumbersome over time. The residents may want to right-size but not leave the area. An open house is the perfect opportunity to see if there is something nearby that will fit a changing lifestyle better. Sellers should welcome their neighbors. They have friends in the area. Their children go to the local schools.

And they have grown accustomed to shopping, recreating and driving routes. Use it as an opportunity to speak about how much you like living there but unfortunately have to move.
If you are thinking of selling you should entertain the notion of an open house. Any one visiting your home is another set of eyes and ears and hopefully an additional marketer for your home.

You may be uncomfortable about inviting strangers into your personal spaces, but of course it is a necessary component of selling. The plan should be that soon, hopefully, your home will become someone else’s sanctuary.

The new owner may be the first person in the door one open house Sunday, with their hordes of children, dogs and great-aunt who lives in the neighborhood. Remember that is what you have been preparing for. Let someone else greet them while you take a long walk and think about your next move.

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Joy Earls is a Real Estate Broker/Owner of Joy Earls Real Estate. She truly enjoys your stories, calls and emails: You can find her at: joyearls@joyearls.com or 406-531-9811.