Definition of "Open house"

Just to be clear: an Open house is not when you invite friends over to meet your new house. At least not in the real estate world.

When you hear someone talking about an Open House, they mean an event where the agent or the home seller opens his house so that interested homebuyers walk in and see with their own eyes how awesome that house is.

Oh, so an Open House is that moment in movies when the guy goes to the house and there are fruit platters and cheesy background music?

Yes, but if you are a real estate agent or home seller doing an Open House, please avoid this cliché. An Open House exists to “wow” home buyers and nothing says wow like being creative, innovative and classy. From the invitation, to the welcome sign outside the house and the event itself.

Because image is everything and the first impression matters, agents usually “dress” the house prior to the Open House. They normally:

-   Mow the lawn
-   Clean the bathrooms and the kitchen thoroughly
-   And sometimes even rearrange the furniture in a way that the house looks bigger and brighter

And of course: quality snacks to win clients by their stomach are a must at an Open House.

No wonder agents use the verb “to stage” when talking about the preparation for an open house, right?

Real Estate tip:

Liked the concept? Read our blog article and learn how to Optimize your next open house
.

Don't like the concept? You can try the Virtual Cyber Tours: The New Way to Show Properties.

Know where to find the best real estate agents with the coolest open houses? Look no further; check out The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory
® !

 

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Property deed in which the grantor limits the title warranty to the grantee. A grantor does not warrant a title defect to the property occurring from a happening before the time of his ...

The substitution of one person or business for another when the substituted person or business has the same rights and obligations as the original party. An insurance company can surogate ...

Home inspector is the name the real estate industry calls the professional responsible for the close and thorough examination of a property. The home inspector usually is called upon ...

Way to determine the capitalization rate of income property for valuation purposes by weighting the rate of interest and source of financing in percentage terms. ...

Sudden, drastic change in organization, direction, objectives, strategies, or functioning. It is often associated with a new owner who wants things his way. Managers and employees may ...

Also called an installment sales contract or contract foe feed. A type of creative financing in real estate allowing the seller to finance a buyer by allowing him or her to make a down ...

Method of revenue recognition based on delivery instead of sale. ...

Broadly speaking, a commission is a remuneration a person receives after acting on someone else’s behalf.In the real estate world, you’ll usually hear the term “sales ...

(1) Return of the principal invested in real estate. It excludes income earned. (2) Collection of a previously written off bad debt. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions