Open houses can be a fantastic way to drive traffic and interest to your property. Most buyers these days tend to start their property search online—with or without the help of an agent. When your home is advertised as an open house, it makes it convenient for potential buyers and/or their agents to stop by. Some sellers worry that only nosy neighbors will come to look at their house, but an open house done right can really drive demand.

For example, if a buyer’s agent wants to schedule a showing for a Saturday, they can come during the open house. Others may see the open house advertised online and choose to stop by. Sure, one of those nosy neighbors might show up as well, but that’s okay. When several different types of buyers come to see your property at once, they also see each other. This tends to create a buzz around your property. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a strong motivator; it can drive buyers to make a faster decision and present a better offer.

Having an open house is also one of the best ways to compete with new construction. Model homes are open seven days a week and onsite sales offices often serve warm cookies, making it extremely convenient and even enjoyable for anyone to stop by. Hosting an open house allows us to offer potential buyers a similar level of convenience.

We understand that public open houses don’t allow us to properly qualify all visitors as buyers, and therefore some homeowners would prefer not to have them. If you have concerns about this, we can have more than one team member present to help keep an eye on everything.

A broker open is a type of open house that is limited to real estate agents. The idea is for agents to preview the property and gain a better understanding about the particulars of your home. In other states, particularly California, the broker caravan is a bigger part of the sales culture. In Las Vegas, broker opens tend to have very low turnout unless they’re promoted as a high-end cocktail party. We’re happy to host something like that at your request. However, if you choose to have a public open house, we generally take the opportunity to invite brokers and make the most of the time window for all prospective buyers, agents, etc.

At the Rob Jensen Company, we show your home by appointment (with some exceptions). When someone would like to see your property, even if it’s a buyer with an agent from a different company, they will reach out to our office to schedule the appointment. At that time, we’ll ask for some sort of qualification, such as a pre-approval letter for their loan or proof of funds for cash buyers (i.e., a bank or brokerage statement). In some cases, if the potential buyer can’t provide any of that and they appear to be reputable, we at least get their name, occupation, and current home address. That way, we can vet them and get an idea whether they can actually afford your home—before they come to look at it.

During this process we also send over our pre-showing email, which includes professional photos, the floor plan, and the 3D Matterport tour of your home. There’s no substitute for an in-person showing, but we like to make sure the buyer has all the details ahead of time. Anything the buyer might use to disqualify your property is nice to know in advance. For example, if the floor plan won’t meet their needs because the primary bedroom is on the wrong level, we can cancel the showing and avoid wasting your time.

If the buyer is qualified and still interested after reviewing the pre-showing email, we will reach out to you to confirm and schedule an appointment. When it’s time to show the home, one of our team members will arrive at least fifteen minutes early to turn on all the lights, water features, fireplaces, etc. If the weather is right, we’ll also open pocket doors and so on. When the buyer arrives, we’ll make sure they take off their shoes or wear booties if applicable. During the showing, we’ll answer any questions they may have while also actively selling your house. When the showing is complete, we will give them a brochure, which features all the photos, property descriptions, and specs. Finally, we’ll lock up the house, turn off all the lights, and notify you that the showing is complete.

After each showing, we will provide you with feedback from the potential buyer. If the buyer asks how quickly they can close on the house—or perhaps whether you’ll sell your home furnished—we will be in immediate contact with you to discuss these options.

However, most often you won’t receive immediate feedback. For example, if the buyer is in town for the day looking at five homes, and your home is the second one on their list, the team member who did the showing will follow up with the buyer’s agent the next day. We will continue to reach out until we get a resolution; we want to know if the buyer has found something else that suits them, wants to make an offer, see the home at night, bring their spouse, etc. Given the difficulty of reaching other agents and those agents reaching their clients, this process can sometimes take up to a week.

In order for us to gain access to our properties for showings, each seller generally provides us with a house key. We’re happy to keep the key securely at our office. However, we prefer storing the key in an electronic lockbox attached to your gas meter or a similar location. This works best because it ensures the key is always secure and readily available at the property. Each lockbox is protected by an additional layer of security called a CBS code, which prevents other real estate agents from opening it. Only our team members will have access to the lockbox, and therefore the key that opens your house. If you want to discuss this further, we would be happy to do so.

When it comes to for sale signs, we highly recommend having one. Although some neighborhoods don’t allow them, please remember that exposure to the highest number of qualified buyers will help you get the highest price in the shortest amount of time. Even though your community may be guard gated and have limited traffic, anyone living in or visiting the neighborhood will see the sign. It is often the friends and family members of residents who are interested in purchasing within the community. Plus, many of your neighbors will see your home advertised in our newsletter. There is only an upside to having a for sale sign, but if you are absolutely against it, then it is not a requirement.

What is staging?

Staging is preparing the home for potential buyers—or “setting the stage,” if you will. It involves redecorating, rearranging furniture, cleaning, decluttering, and other aesthetic strategies to present the home in the best possible light. The goal is to make the home as appealing as possible to the most potential buyers. 

What are the benefits of staging?

A staged home helps potential buyers visualize themselves in your space, as they can get a glimpse of how they might use each of the different rooms, from an office to a playroom and living room to a bonus room. In fact, a 2019 National Association of Realtors study on home staging reported that 83% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. This is why it’s important to de-personalize your space, removing family photos and other personal items.

Does the Rob Jensen Company provide staging services?

Our company provides our seller clients a one-time consultation with a staging professional to determine the best way to showcase their home.

What happens during the staging consultation?

The staging professional will walk the home and offer suggestions that will ensure the home shows and photographs in its best light. Some of these recommendations will come at a cost to the seller, others will not, and none of them are a prerequisite to getting the home sold.

What happens after the staging consultation?

The staging professional will email the sellers a staging “best practices” as well as a list of the items discussed for reference.

What happens if the seller needs further assistance from the staging professional?

After the initial consultation, the client may choose to hire the staging professional. The costs associated with that would be the client’s responsibility.

Do vacant homes need to be staged?

Some vacant homes benefit from staging when the living areas are not clearly defined. Most vacant homes show well without staging.