4 Easy Ways to Have a Successful Open House

Selling a luxury home on the island of Kauai should be a straightforward endeavor, right? In most cases, the answer is yes, and for many of the island's homes that fall below the million-dollar mark, the sales process transpires with few challenges or roadblocks.

However, upon listing one of the island's more notable residences, you want to connect the property with the ideal buyer to ensure a successful and highly lucrative transaction. Hosting an open house is one of the best methods for achieving this lofty goal.

Though not as prevalent as they once were, an open house remains an effective sales tool. Within the luxury segment, it can spark massive interest in your listing from buyers who frequent the island and are looking to upgrade their primary or vacation home. More than just the appeal to a single buyer, open houses may also entice several parties, including home buyers and investors, to compete for the privilege of purchasing your home.

So what about your current and near-future listing? Is it ready for its moment in the spotlight? Let's first explore the merits of the open house. We'll gauge if yours is a prime candidate for hosting and why you should consider it, even with an abundance of digital tools at the disposal of luxury buyers. Then we'll look at four easy ways to have a successful open house.

Consider for a moment the last time you attended an open house for a multi-million dollar residential property. Given what's transpired since the early months of 2020, it's probably been a while. But even before then, when in the market for high-end real estate, we bet your open-house attendance was few and far between.

Much of that is attributable to the growth of the internet and social media. The advances of the smartphone as a central tool in securing a new home have also played a significant role. Theoretically, one could execute every step of the home-buying transaction—from initial search to placing an offer to coordinating an inspection to signing the closing documents—from their smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

Conventional wisdom tells you to devote your marketing efforts online as a seller. It's by no means bad advice and is, in fact, necessary to ensure your listing generates maximum exposure. So then why entertain the idea of the open house?

Discussing the merits of an in-person event might seem counterintuitive when acknowledging the sea of technologies streamlining the home buying process. But high-dollar residential property carries a different cachet than your average home, not just on Kauai or Hawaii's other island enclaves. Still, any grand or lavish residence you may consider selling on the mainland U.S.

Luxury real estate is more than a home; you also sell a lifestyle. If your goal is to connect the high-end opulence and splendor of your Kauai listing with a buyer willing to procure it for a considerable premium, a highly personalized touch is the best approach.

The exposure brought to your listing is essential to opening up your home to interested buyers. Online listings are highly effective—particularly those with professional photos, a virtual or video tour, and information about the house, surrounding neighborhood, and the broader community. But it's not a replacement for experiencing the property in person.

Interested buyers want to see first-hand the craftsmanship of a luxury Kauai home and its place within Garden Island’s stunning landscape. It's a massive boost to a property's perceived value when viewed in the context of its immediate surroundings and nearby conveniences and amenities.

For that same reason, open houses invite several interested parties beyond the primary home buyer. Nearby homeowners, investors, other real estate agents, or professionals in the housing industry will stop for a first-person tour. The exposure broadens word of mouth and draws in even more interested buyers.

In addition, open houses are far less intrusive than private showings. Instead of numerous individuals touring your home at random times throughout the week or weekend, the open house carves out a specific block of time for those tours. It's far less inconvenient for you and helps identify only the most interested buyers.

So, does your property have open house potential? The short answer is yes, your home is a prime candidate to host an open house. Any for-sale home will benefit from an open house if executed and marketed wisely.

That said, multi-million dollar properties in outstanding locations stand to gain the most from an open house. Again, spectacular homes in an equally spectacular setting must be experienced to be fully appreciated. The first-hand knowledge buyers gain from an open house leads to greeting appreciation for the home.

But to ensure targeted buyers walk away from the open house experience ready to make an offer, you must show them a worthy property. Here are four simple ways to show off your luxurious Kauai property and ensure your open house is a resounding success.

Prepping your home to sell is a critical step in the pre-listing process, regardless if you plan to have an open house or not. Cleaning, decluttering, and depersonalizing your home is a must for impressing discerning luxury buyers, making minor repairs, and sprucing up a dated interior with fresh paint and moderate upgrades.

No one expects you to entirely makeover your home upon listing it for sale. But to impress buyers and wow the crowd at an open house, invest a little time and money to boost your property's standing. For example, replacing light fixtures, adding a new appliance package, or replacing window treatments or interior doors are subtle improvements that bring a home to life.

Pair those interior updates with external enhancements to maximize your home's first impression during your open house. Freshly manicured landscaping, touched-up exterior paint, and replacement front or garage doors brighten your curb appeal without breaking the bank.

 

One of the most important aspects of presenting a home for sale is to create the illusion of a blank slate. You want to showcase your residence as a place a new owner can make their own. The easiest way to achieve this is through staging.

Staging helps transform a "lived-in" home into a clean canvas, free from bulky furniture, mismatched accessories, stressed-out throws and rugs, and cluttered walkways or gathering areas. Staging also helps a home show better and, in some scenarios, can expose long-hidden architectural details.

Get the most from your open house set-up by employing a professional stager. Susan Higgins Realtor can recommend stagers with experience with your type of property or specific Kauai neighborhood and a successful track record of styling open houses.

Open houses are convenient for both shopper and seller as an alternative to an endless parade of private tours. The former awards a longer time frame to tour the home, engage the selling agent, and take stock of the home's potential without immediately being shooed away.

The latter gets the bulk of home tours knocked out simultaneously and time to focus on only the most interested parties afterward—not to mention the potential to generate healthy word of mouth for the listing.

To increase the opportunity for buyers, be flexible about your open house timeframe. Instead of a single-day tour window, consider a three-day stretch where tours are welcome during four-hour windows. Include one weekday and one weekend day to broaden your attendance. Consecutive weekends also capture those who may not have made it the first time.

Although great at attracting a decent contingent of would-be buyers (and a fair share of curious onlookers), open houses don't always attract everyone in the market for a new home. This proves especially true for a fair contingent of deep-pocketed buyers.

It's not that they’re opposed to the idea of an open house, but the public nature of browsing with other interested buyers is not their cup of tea. To attract this subset of real estate investors, consider reframing your open house as a fundraiser, cocktail party, charity mixer, or another creative alternative. The purpose is twofold: First, you attract an affluent set of potential buyers, many of whom consider real estate a wise investment. Secondly, you show off your home's flexibility as not just a place to live but to entertain and support great causes.

Luxury home buyers love a versatile property—a residence where they can live, vacation, generate income or entertain. That property might just be your listing on the island of Kauai.

Are you ready to capitalize on a favorable market and reap the benefits of selling a Kauai home? Contact Susan Higgins Hawaii today to start your home-selling journey in Kauai’s luxury real estate market. With Susan’s extensive experience and expertise on your side, you’ll be positioned to earn the highest ROI on your investment, whether you’re listing a Koloa condo, a Wailua homestead beach rental, or Lihue HI real estate.