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Pros And Cons Of Holding An Open House Vs. Private Showings


new home open house
via pexels

After much deliberation, you have finally made the decision to sell your home. Whether you need a larger house that better fits your family’s needs or have a preference for a different neighborhood, you feel like it is time to settle in a new and upgraded place.

However, when you are getting ready to sell your home, you must also think about what is the best way to do that. Most homeowners decide to hire a real estate agent to help them along who often suggests that sellers host a house showing. This gives buyers an opportunity to see the potential of the home and imagine themselves living there.

Generally speaking, there are two options you can consider to allow potential buyers to view your property. You can either have an open house or stick to private showings, both of which come with their own advantages and drawbacks.

In this post, we review the pros and cons of open house and private showings.

Open house showings

Pros

Buying a home is not a process most people are familiar with, especially if it is their first time doing so. Therefore, by hosting an open house you will be able to attract buyers who may not know the home-buying process and receive guidance along the way. To make things easier, buyers can rely on informational guides, such as the Wahi Showing Guide, to compare details of every viewing so they can make a more informed decision.

Another great advantage of open houses is that they are typically laid-back events that provide a low-pressure environment for buyers. They can feel comfortable coming in to view the home without the pressure of a realtor or seller.

Cons

One of the greatest drawbacks of open houses is the risk of break-ins and vandalization. This type of viewing allows criminals to explore your home with little to no supervision, taking advantage of the opportunity to plan out their operations. Therefore, it is important that you consider the security issues before you host an open house.

Besides this, an open house also means attracting nosy neighbors and lookie-loos whose main purposes are to compare your property to their own and see how the house is decorated. They have no intention of purchasing the home and are just looking for a way to kill some free time on a Sunday.

Modern Home

Private showings

Pros

As opposed to open houses, with private showings you can make the timing work for you. You can schedule an appointment with a potential buyer, giving them the opportunity to exclusively tour your property. In most cases, this is done for serious buyers who have their finances ready to make an offer, especially if they show great interest in purchasing your home.

Besides this, private showings are also perfect opportunities for buyers to have a candid conversation with the sellers about the property. If they are serious about buying your home, they will be more observant of the house and ask you questions about it without worrying about time restrictions or moving along with the tour.

Cons

One of the biggest disadvantages of private house showings is that homeowners are often instructed by their real estate agents to be out of their home during the tour. This can be a big inconvenience for property owners especially if the buyer provided a timeframe of when they would be arriving.

Plus, for private showings, your home should be in pristine condition which can be otherwise disrupted if there are kids and pets present.  

Another drawback of hosting private showings is that some sellers don’t even get around to actually host them. This is because they list their home, have a couple of open houses and then ask for offers right away. 

open house home viewing
via pexels

Final thoughts

No matter what the reason for selling your home is, the process of doing so can be long and overwhelming. To speed things up, you have the option of hosting house showings to allow potential buyers to see your home and get a glimpse of what it would be like living there.

You can do this either by having an open house or scheduling a private showing with a serious buyer, both of which are common effective selling strategies.

If you aren’t sure which strategy suits your needs, refer back to our guide and learn about the pros and cons of open houses and private showings.


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