Open House Checklist: Fill & Download for Free

The number one tool would be a CRM. This is a contact management tool that allows you to manage your database and keep track of important information such as who went to your open house so you can email all the visitors in one fell swoop to tell them about future open houses, price reductions, etc. It also allows you to automate marketing like seasonal pieces, market info, newsletters, etc. You need one that is specific to Real Estate and make sure the content is well written and the program is easy to use and has weekend support. Also, make sure it allows you to create "activity plans". These are basically tasks that are anchored to a date. So if you have an open house on a Saturday two weeks from today, you can launch the activity plan and it will populate your calendar with the tasks you need to do both prior to and after the open house.Some that I like include ixactcontact, Brian Buffini's Referral Maker (no weekend support!!), and I don't suggest Top Producer although I used it for a long time. It was poorly written.Transaction management software. I like Skyslope and RealtyCommander. Both allow you to keep trac of your client details, and upload documents against a checklist. Skyslope is written more for the brokerage and RealtyCommander is more agent centric. Once a document is uploaded, you can then print it, email it, etc.Docusign or some other digital signing tool. It's a game changer and much easier than you might think for both you and your clients. Make sure you learn how to have it automatically email the finished documents to you, the other agent and your transaction coordinator. Also, most transaction management software gives you an email address for each transaction. If you put that into Docusign, it will email the finished document to your transaction management software and it will automatically be uploaded and available. That eliminates at least two more steps!Dropbox is a virtual drive where you can save your documents. Don't worry too much about how it works, just go to their site and follow the instructions. It installs a drive on your computer, ipad, iphone, etc and any document you put into a folder while working on your computer, will appear and be accessible from your iPad, iPhone, etc. It's critical.Camscanner is an iPhone app (probably available on other phones as well) and it allows you to take a photo of a document sitting on a table. It then straightens out the document, whitens it and makes it look like it was scanned on a regular scanner. It's an amazing tool. Scan, email the doc, open it in Docusign (which has an app for your tablet and phone), set it up for digitial signing, email it off automatically to the right parties and move on!

A few years ago I was flying fixed wing gliders for a hobby. Our club used a two seat Blanik L-13 for training and giving rides. This is not ours but it is the same type:Once or twice a year we would have an open house and invite the public to come out for a ride. It was hoped that this would generate interest in the sport and perhaps create new members. One pleasant summer day I was one of the ride providers. A pair of married couples came out together. A couple of people were very enthusiastic, one of the ladies less so. After providing a ride lasting 20 ~ 25 minutes to a couple of satisfied people, one of the very enthusiastic husbands convinced his wife to try it. She seemed nervous as she climbed into the front seat. We always let the passengers ride in the front because that’s where you get the best view.I helped secure her harness and adjusted the rudder pedals so she could reach them. I liked to make sure the passenger could handle all of the controls as after takeoff I would ask if they wanted the ‘first flying lesson’ or the ‘scenic tour’. I pointed out to her the canopy release levers and explained the function of the controls noting what not to touch during the flight (pro tip: don’t touch anything unless instructed by the pilot.) I then settled myself into the rear seat and did the pre-takeoff checklist and coordinated the takeoff with the pilot of our single engine towplane, similar to this one:We started the ground roll and everything seemed fine. Half way down the runway we had exceeded the glider’s stall speed so I eased the ship a couple of feet off the ground and held that until the towplane had reached its higher stall speed and took off.Once we started to climb away from the ground my nervous-flier passenger totally lost her cool. At about 20 feet up she started frantically flailing around the cockpit looking for something to hold on to. There is no safe grab handle in an L-13 cockpit. I was afraid she would grab firmly onto a control. Had she pulled on the control stick (between the legs,) the flaps or the air brake levers (on left side of the cockpit) the flight could have turned deadly. Grabbing the tow line release (yellow Tee handle on the panel) or the canopy release (red knob on the right side) might have caused our flight to end very quickly yet perhaps safely. To prevent a disaster I suggested she hold onto her harness. I said that calmly despite the fact that by this point I was terrified of where this might go. With that crises averted I continued following the towplane. During an aerotow the glider is flying in formation with another aircraft. There is not too much room for error as the two ships are actually tied together (although either ship can release the towrope). I then noticed that the rudder pedals were frozen. My passenger had braced herself by pushing hard on both of the foot pedals that were at just the correct distance from the seat. To control the glider and follow the towplane I needed to get control of the rudder back. In a calm voice I asked my passenger to lighten up on the pedals, which she did. We were able to carry on with the flight normally after that. To keep her calm I chattered non-stop about the scenery, the weather, the state of the crops we were flying over, anything not related to flying. About 20 minutes later we rolled to a stop after an uneventful landing. I think we were both tremendously relieved to climb out of the cockpit.I never again came across a passenger as nervous as that one. I did however pay close attention to signs and watched for someone who seemed to be getting pushed into something they did not want to try.

In the age of the Internet, especially with the ability to see a home through a complete virtual tour, more people are using the online sources in order to “view” and find homes that they’re interested in buying more than any other method. However, don’t write off the classic open house quite yet.A study conducted by Realtor Magazine showed that 20% of potential buyers looking at low- to mid-range homes use open houses to decide what home they actually want to purchase. That number jumps to 30% for luxury and upper price range homes.This shows that there’s still value and advantages to holding an open house during your selling process. But this isn’t the end of that decision. Now, the real work begins.An open house means allowing a large amount of strangers into your home in hopes that it will convince them it should become their home. The best way to do that is to make them feel comfortable, show them the best parts of the home, and help them visualize themselves living there.How do you do that? A real estate agent is a great asset for planning, organizing, and staging your home for an open house since they’ve done this before and they know what the potential buyers are looking for.There are things you can do in order to prepare your home for an open house to make it as successful as possible. Keep reading for a brief open house checklist to help you get started.Clean, Clean, and Clean Some MoreBeginning a few days before the open house, it’s time to put in a little (actually, a lot) of elbow grease. You want to wash the floors, wipe down your windows/mirrors, clean the counters, vacuum, and more to make everything look “spick and spam.”Put in that little extra effort to really impress the potential buyers. Not only will the cleanliness make your home look and feel better, but it will also help you to highlight some of your home’s best qualities.Does your home have amazing hardwood floors? Putting in that extra effort to make sure they’re buffed and shiny will highlight that attribute.What about a skylight window or large windows that overlook an amazing view? Ensuring that these are clear and streak-free will brighten the home and show off an awesome quality.Don’t forget about cleaning the outside of your home, too. Power wash the driveway, mow the lawn, pick up any trash/twigs/branches in the yard, dispose of any dog poop, touch up any chipping paint, etc.Remember Curb AppealOn the topic of the outside of your home, curb appeal is extremely important for your open house. Curb appeal refers to the impression your home makes as someone looks at it from, well, the curb.The exterior of the home, your yard, your driveway, your fence, your mailbox — all of these make impacts on the first impression your potential buyers have of your house.Take the time to get these things perfect. As we said before, wash your driveway, mow your lawn, keep up with your garden, and other cleaning tasks like that.But you should also take note of the overall appearance. Has it been a while since your home’s gotten a fresh coat of paint? Consult with an exterior paint color expert to see whether a new color palette or even just some new trim can improve your home’s look.Also make sure you maintain your pathways, update your plants, clean your gutters, and touch-up paint on your fences, railings, and mailbox.Time for Some Fresh PaintSpeaking of paint, it’s a good idea to update (or at least think about updating) your interior paint as well. Color trends and themes have likely changed since you bought your house, not to mention that it’s likely there are scuffs, stains, and fading after the home has been lived in.Think of colors and themes that are classic for the market you’re going for. Perhaps you’re aiming to sell to young families who will appreciate millennial pink. Or maybe, on the other hand, you’re aiming at older generations who prefer a more mature or simple color scheme.This is where a paint color specialist will help you. They’ll be able to tell you what colors will work best for your market as well as which colors will make the rooms look their best.Color can increase light, highlight important aspects in the home, and add life to the space. A color expert will help you make those decisions and get your home in the best shape before the open house.Create a Blank SlateAs you spruce up your home and make it look as good as possible, you also want to be creating as neutral of a space as possible. What do we mean by that?We mean that you need to depersonalize the space. Take down your family pictures, remove specific or personal trinkets/decor, and have your pets/kids leave the home for the day of the open house. In fact, unless you’re selling the house on your own, it’s best that you not be present, either.Some agents even ask homeowners to leave the premises completely during a property’s first listing weekend so the house can be clear for follow-up visits after an open house later on in the weekend or even the same day.Potential buyers want to see themselves in the home. Seeing images of the current owners disrupts their visualization of themselves there, which can hinder their experience. Also, if you’re present, they may not be honest with how they feel or honestly inspect every aspect of the home for fear of offending you/your home.Your best bet is to create a blank slate that will allow viewers to truly see themselves living there and start to feel like it’s their home.Staging ServicesIt’s not easy to prepare your home for an open house, especially with work, kids, and life taking up most of your time.Staging services can help you set up your home in a way that will be best suited for selling. These types of services will help you arrange furniture, create that “blank slate” we mentioned earlier, place candles, remove decor/trinkets, and other things to create the perfect open house.It’s hard for the homeowner to take a step back and be unbiased when setting up the open house.Why should you remove your favorite art piece from the living room or rearrange your furniture in the bedrooms? You like it that way!But staging services are experts and will be able to view each room with an unbiased eye to give you the best chance at impressing potential buyers.Ready to Sell?List open house checklist is far from comprehensive, but it does give you a general idea of the things you’ll need to think about and do in order to have a successful open house.The big things to keep in mind are: keep things tidy, keep things neutral, and make the potential buyers feel, well, at home! If you can do those things, you’re setting yourself up for a successful sale.