Host an Open House Dinner Party

Learn how hosting a dinner party for potential buyers can increase the possibility of a quick and easy sale. Find out how home owners can sell their homes using a combination of hospitality, strategy, and down-home common sense.

Hosting an open house dinner party can be a mirthful way to wrangle your most serious potential buyers under one roof and sell your home through good, old-fashioned North Texas hospitality. During an after-hours party, buyers can take in your property without pressure and have any lingering questions answered by its most foremost authority — you! The relaxed atmosphere allows you to establish connections and share anecdotes that can help buyers envision themselves as the future owner of your Lone Star abode.

Scheduling

Holidays can provide the perfect backdrop to host an open house dinner party. Buyers can be especially amenable to accepting gracious invitations into homes to dine during these seasonal days of celebration. Consider checking with potential guests before offering up a set time to host your party. Make sure that your party’s hours accommodate most guests’ schedules to avoid hosting an elaborate shindig for one.

To increase attendance and take the stress out of having your buyers find a last-minute babysitter, consider hiring your own. Offer to have a babysitter watch over guests’ children while parents tour your home and enjoy the grownup get-together. An entire family’s presence at an open house can help your buyers envision their brood moving into your home and making it their own for generations.

Serve Up a Sale

While foods served should be delicious, they don’t have to be fancy. Take a cue out of your holiday playbook and plan your party as you would a holiday bash: Keep recipes easy to minimize prep-work and cleanup. For a great way to make it seem as if you’ve gone all out for your guests, prepare a succulent meal in a slow cooker. Crock pots provide the heartiness of home-cooked fixings with the ease of combining all ingredients at once and walking away for hours to let the dishes simmer.

To butter buyers up, hand out finger foods as appetizers. Serve festive alcoholic drinks or invite buyers to bring their own standby favorites to encourage a spirited atmosphere. If you’re hosting around the holidays, offer seasonal deserts like pumpkin pie or Christmas cookies. Variety is the spice of life, and it should also be the motto of your table: Serve different kinds of foods, including some vegetarian options, so that you’ll have something for everyone.

Strategize

Homes that have large yards, impressive decks, or great backyard views set the stage for outdoor entertaining. Hosting barbecues or serving picnic-style foods in these areas can sell buyers on these popular features. Similarly, if your home has designated entertainment areas, like a tiki hut bar, an open house party can provide the perfect arena to show off its merrymaking potential.

When choosing decor to sell your potential buyers on your home, opt for items that feature orange and green hues. Orange inspires warmth and enthusiasm, while green can put buyers’ reservations at ease. Wafting soft music through your house can relax buyers and have them open up their minds and hearts to your home while they fill their stomachs with your tempting treats and eats.

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Samantha Gonzales is a copywriter specializing in marketing, business, and educational publishing.

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2 Comments

  1. Elise Ryan
    May 27, 2016

    I think this is such a lovely idea! I often think of hosting an open house for neighbors and friends who may know folks interested in the area. Love that emotional connection. We once did an Open House for breakfast w/ slides of a historic
    home semi-renovated, called “Re-making of a classic.” It was great fun and lots of people stayed to learn about and explore the house for sale without any pressure.

    Reply
  2. Shelley
    July 5, 2016

    I’m curious if this technique works better in some areas than other. For example, this seems like a great idea if you are selling a condo in Dallas vs. a suburban home in Keller. Am I wrong?

    Reply

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