6 Things You Should Never Do at Your Open House

If you’re selling your home, an open house is a great way to generate buzz.
You get to present your home while it’s looking its best to many buyers at once, creating a sense of excitement and competition that can bring in multiple offers.

The Length of Your Open House

Realtors often debate whether or not an open house should be longer, as in three or four hours. Or shorter, for example as short as 45 minutes. If it’s longer you may get more people in over the whole open. However, the shorter timeframes have the potential to get more potential buyers into the house at one time. And that’s what creates the buzz.

The Neighbors

Opens also give neighbors a chance to take a peak, which is not a bad thing. They often have friends or family members who want to live in the same neighborhood.
The best candidates for open houses are houses that are vacant. If you still live in your home, remember that you have the door open to total strangers. You have no idea what their intentions are.  As a realtor, I’m of the opinion that open houses are going to go out of favor and be seen as more of a hinderance than a help.

We have amazing technology now making open houses less necessary. Professional photos and apps that allow buyers to actually measure the spaces on their phones – without even stepping into the property. Drone videos and Google maps are aiding in open houses becoming a thing of the past.

Hosting an open house will also net you more money. How much? Research shows that homes with an open house sell for about $9,000 more than similar homes without—and they typically sell seven days faster.

Having an open house as part of your marketing is a personal decision to be made with the advice of your realtor. To help you prepare, our expert real estate team has broken down the top six things you should never do at your open house. Check them out below.

6 things you should never do at your open house

1. Don’t attend

This might sound counterintuitive, but the biggest mistake you can make at your open house is attending at all.

I’ve had clients want to attend their own open houses. That makes buyers extremely uncomfortable and encourages them to move along quickly as opposed to really getting a good feel for the property.

If an open house does its job, potential buyers wander around, falling in love with your home by envisioning it as theirs. They may even start imaging where their furniture – and especially their TV – will go. They will be out the door quickly if the current homeowner is hovering. If buyers feel scrutinized, they’re also likely to hesitate before offering feedback that could prove valuable later.  They won’t be honest and they certainly won’t ask questions or engage with your real estate agent the way you’d want them to.

Attending your open house can also stress you out unnecessarily. What if no one shows up right away? How will you feel if someone has negative feedback or straight up doesn’t like your home? These are common occurrences at open houses that don’t affect the overall success of the event—but they will bring you anxiety and frustration that you’re better off avoiding. People say all sorts of things about houses. Sometimes they’re looking for DIY ideas. Sometimes they’re just curious about the neighbor’s house. Sometimes they’re just having a bad day and want to criticize everything about the property. Let your realtor take the heat from that. We know how to handle it in the best way possible.

Let your real estate agent show off your home’s best features, answer questions, and find the perfect buyer for your property while you take a well-deserved break.

2. Don’t schedule your open house at the wrong time

Scheduling your open house on a holiday or at the same time as a popular community event can take it from crowded to crickets. Then it becomes a waste of time to do all the work necessary to get the house ready when it’s unlikely that anyone will show up.

When should you schedule?  Choose a time in the afternoon on the weekend—but avoid overlapping with important local sporting events and highly-anticipated concerts, shows, and festivals. Some industry experts believe that 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM is the most successful time block – basically because that’s what buyers have been trained to believe. Scheduling during the spring and early summer can be the best move. Spring is often the busiest time of year for buying and selling homes. The weather is warming up, your landscaping is coming into bloom, and more buyers are entering the market. The spring home-buying season is starting now, so get in touch with your real estate agent and start planning.

3. Don’t neglect cleaning and staging

We can’t underline this enough. A thorough deep clean and professional staging will generate more interest in your home—and it’ll make you more money. Nobody likes a messy, dirty or stinky house. It’s the fastest way to get people out of the open house. And they won’t come back.

A recent home cleaning guide by Homelite reported that deep cleaning and decluttering before selling can provide a 3 to 5% value boost compared to not doing it, and staging is worth even more.

What is staging? Home staging is about minimizing a home’s flaws, accentuating its positives, and showcasing its potential with on-trend and flattering furniture and decor. The idea is to give the impression of a modern, move-in-ready property while helping a buyer imagine what a home could be. It’s become the standard in the industry. Although, virtual staing has gained popularity since Covid.

Professional staging costs anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 – or more-depending on the size of your home and the services you want—but the results are often worth it. The National Association of Realtors reported that “staging helps sell homes three to 30 times faster than the non-staged competition. Further, staging can help increase the sale price by up to 20% on average.”

4. Don’t fill the air with strong smells

This is one of my favorite topics when it comes to staging. Incense, candles, and strong air fresheners are no-gos before your open house, and here’s why.

In the store, how many candles do you smell that you absolutely love? And how many do you put back on the shelf with a yuck face? Scent affects mood and emotional responses. And what we think smells good or bad is extremely personal. It has to do with our associations with certain scents, and even a subconscious negative association can affect our feelings and decision-making process. You want your open house to be as universally positive an experience as possible, so generally speaking, strong smells are best to avoid.

Emotions aside, air fresheners, candles, and incense run the risk of triggering allergies in prospective buyers. And that will not make them want to buy your home. Instead, focus on removing musty odors by deep cleaning your home, shampooing carpets and furniture, and opening the windows.

Really, those plug-in type air fresheners are not popular. Their scents are usually unnatural and irritating to most noses.