Expert Tips and Secrets to Hosting a Successful Open House

Draw a Crowd with a Carrot

Still, even if everyone saw your ad or Facebook wall post, even if you hire a skywriter to advertise the day and time, that doesn't mean everyone will come. Many won't, of course. So a lot of home sellers have been adding a little pizzazz to their open house.

Val J. Aranda, a Realtor in San Antonio who works at Own a Piece of Texas: Real Estate Services & Consulting, likens an open house to any other get-together at your home. "If I invite people to my house to just watch TV, I'll probably have a very small group of people visit, if any," she says. "If I invite people to a 'Horror Movie Night' with costumes, vampire vodka, blood sucking Bloody Marys and a small stack of lottery tickets to go to the best dressed person, I will definitely have a larger group of visitors."

As Aranda suggests, you'll increase your odds of people showing up if you add that dash of the zany to your home's big debut. You don't have to create a funhouse, but it does have to be a fun house. Like, suggests Patton, you could have a raffle with anyone who walks through the front door eligible.

"Maybe the prize could be dinner for two at a restaurant or movie tickets, or maybe dinner and a movie, or a gift basket from a nearby Blockbuster. Keep it local," adds Patton. "Real estate is local."

And have food, stresses Kriza. "You should definitely have at least some sort of refreshment at every event. Believe it or not, it makes a huge difference to people attending. If you can tie that food into the local area, that's also a positive. For instance, at Siena Place, which is an area rich with Italian food, we will be featuring that for our upcoming event."

In other words, it's all about giving potential buyers a literal taste of what living here might be like.

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