Secrets We Use to Attract More Open House Guests

One of the most popular methods for marketing a home for sale is to host an open house. Open house events give potential buyers the opportunity to get a firsthand, up-close look at the properties they are thinking about purchasing. Across all markets — including luxury real estate in Naples — these events have proven to be highly effective in attracting top offers.

More so than ever before, individuals attending an open house have high expectations when it comes to how these events are run. Unlike open houses of the past, simply allowing people to tour your property isn’t enough to excite potential buyers. Instead, there is a myriad of strategies that you and your realtor can use to make your event a success. Explore some of the industry secrets we use to attract more open house guests.

Don’t have time to make significant exterior upgrades or changes before your open house event? Not a problem! There are simple changes that you can make to elevate your home’s curb appeal with minimal effort.

What are some of the changes and upgrades that provide the most bang for your buck? Ideas include swapping out front door handles, door knobs, and locks with the latest fixture designs, adding a doorbell camera, installing upscale path lighting, and professionally staging your porch or patio with chic decor and cozy furniture. Selecting a combination of these simple changes yields the best result and should help you achieve offers for your Naples waterfront property.

Removing all potential barriers to attending your open house is a must. One of the biggest deterrents for individuals is not having anything to eat or drink when an open house is held during prime meal time. By promising a delicious meal for your guests, you further incentivize attending your event.

In need of food ideas for your open house? Think above and beyond basic party snacks and cans of soda. Some of the most successful open houses now feature a full catering spread that provides an array of food options. Alternatively, some agents and sellers are embracing the idea of bringing top local food trucks on-site.

Creating a festive atmosphere is ideal for sellers who are looking to create a family-friendly vibe. Alternatively, if you want a more upscale environment for your attendees, consider serving a menu of elevated appetizers and champagne (if allowed by law in your area). Using food and beverages to help set the tone for your event is an incredibly effective technique.

Another popular trend in hosting open house events is adding an activity or prize-based incentive for people to attend. Two of the biggest categories are activities for kids and raffle prizes (such as gift cards).

Providing these two offerings is extremely useful in planning a successful open house event. Rather than serving as a distraction to the main event, they actually help generate positive feelings among your attendees.

In the case of providing activities for little ones, this can help parents focus more on the home and on getting answers to the questions they need. When their children are engaged in activities — such as a bounce house, inflatable slide, coloring table, or facing painting — it frees up time for parents to explore the property fully. This can often be the difference between having to leave an open house early and submitting an offer.

How can gift card drawings benefit your open house? When used in the initial marketing of the event, these raffles can attract people who may not have otherwise attended. By increasing the crowd size at your open house, serious prospective buyers will feel greater urgency to make an offer.

Wondering how to advertise an open house? Instead of advertising solely to potential buyers, inviting all neighbors within a certain radius can have a multitude of advantages.

As mentioned above, well-attended open houses often increase the feeling of urgency when it comes to making an offer on a property. Individuals who are serious about purchasing your home won’t want to risk missing out and will be more likely to pursue the next steps when the crowd at the open house is sizable.

Inviting people from the community can also help prospective buyers get to know their new neighbors before moving into the area. When people feel a connection to the community, they have even more reason to submit an offer on your home.

For those who want to go all out, selecting a theme for your event is a wonderful way to impress visitors to your Naples property. Just like with every kind of party you might throw, there are numerous open house themes from which you can choose. Between themes that are sophisticated and elegant, to ones that are fun and family-friendly, the sky’s the limit in terms of how grand you can be with your open house.

Weekend real estate open house events can be challenging to attend for a variety of reasons. Between soccer practices, birthday parties, vacations, and other events that come up, you could be missing out on having serious buyers attend based on the time and date you select. Offering an online live stream of your open house is a marvelous alternative to overcome this challenge.

Hosting an open house is a major undertaking. Save time and effort by having a trustworthy agent plan and host your event for you. Throughout Naples, Florida, Ben Zuk, real estate agent, is the top professional for Naples luxury homes. Boasting an extensive portfolio, Ben is devoted to the happiness of his clients. Ben achieves this goal by working tirelessly to connect individuals and families with properties that meet their every need and preference. He works around the clock to answer questions in a timely manner and actively listens to his clients every step of the way. Contact Ben Zuk today to begin your Naples home selling journey.