Deciding to sell isn’t exactly a walk in the park.
It comes with the overwhelming task of having to declutter years of accumulated junk – often interrupted by the experience of how did that get there? – followed by hours of boxing, labelling, heavy-lifting and endless sorting.
It’s serious back-cracking work that’s an emotional ordeal for some, and far from ‘sparking joy’ for most.
Yet for many sellers, the most daunting stage of listing their home on the market isn’t the cleanup.
It’s the thought of exposing the domain of their personal and daily life, by inviting strangers to walk through (and judge) their home.
But despite how you feel about an open home or private inspection, it’s important to know the difference between each – and to consider which will attract potential buyers and offers on your property, so that you achieve the best sale.
Open homes
Open homes are mostly conducted on weekends. They typically require you to schedule a time slot with your agent to be at your property, which will be publicly advertised to attract prospective buyers. Because they exhibit your home to the widest possible range of buyers, they are a desirable option to generate competition that can potentially sell your property faster.
However, any member of the public can enter your home during an open, so it’s vital to think about locking up precious belongings – especially if large crowds are expected to attend.
Private inspections or inspection by appointment
Private viewings are a common option for sellers who only want to open their home to serious buyers. This means that your agent will screen interested parties ahead to gather if they’re in a position to make an offer, should they wish to.
While knowing ahead who will see your home is a benefit, the disadvantage of private inspections is that they can take more time to generate an offer; they do not expose your property to all potential buyers at once, and they are more flexible as they can be cancelled.
Whichever inspection option you choose, both open homes and private viewings will allow buyers to make an offer on your property. It’s best to find a balance between which will be most convenient for you, and which will maximise your chances of achieving that winning offer.
