Holding an open house is a great opportunity to show off a home to prospective buyers in all its glory. Why stick to conventional methods when it comes to generating interest and showing viewers around the property? Use your creativity and make your next open house viewing a fun, positive and friendly experience that sows the seeds for a quick sale. Real Estate Today broadcasters agree, reporting that creative home opens are a great way to make your property stand out from the crowd. It doesn’t have to be expensive and can involve as much or as little money as you like.

Here are our top 10 crazy open house ideas to help your property go from ‘for sale’ to ‘sold’.

1. Throw a Party

Throwing a party is a great way to show off all the best features of a home, HGTV Magazine asserting that the lively atmosphere lets open house attendees see the property in a different light to a conventional viewing. If the house has an amazing deck, have a barbeque. If the garden is a major drawcard, hold your own mini Ashes series. If the kitchen is great for socialising then get entertaining. If you want to get even crazier try taking your party outdoors and invite the whole street!

 2. Schedule an Exhibition

Business Insider reports that some agents not only schedule a sophisticated soiree, they throw an art exhibition and invite local artists to display their works. This doesn’t have to be restricted to painted canvases – what about having performance artists on the front porch? Or dramatic sculptures dotting the driveway?

 3. Hire a String Quartet

Imagine what you would think if you walked into an open house to the sounds of a string quartet. Wow! It may not be the cheapest of creative open house ideas but it is guaranteed to make an impact. If you want to add even more of an impact, request that all musicians dress up in their finery – think ball gowns and tuxedos with top hats and tails to really create a strong first impression.

 4. Add Some Magic

Add some mystery to your own house by booking a magician and circus performers to enthral visitors –  jugglers, clowns and sword eaters could set up shop in and around the property to add a carnival atmosphere to the event.

 5. Hire A Barber Shop Quartet

Rest your voice and have a barber shop quartet sing their way through the showing. While this is an unusual idea, it is also very easy to arrange as most towns will have a barber shop quartet for hire. Simply thumb through the Yellow Pages or do a quick Google Places search. The singers could welcome visitors on the driveway or conduct the viewings in lyrics.

 6. Get into the Spirit

If you’re selling a house around a festive period then the best thing you can do is embrace it! A house that has its halls decked with Christmas decorations and mince pies will warm the hearts (and hopefully pockets) of anyone who walks through the doors. Kids will love an Easter egg hunt and spooky Halloween decorations can liven up any open house viewing. For maximum impact you can even hire a costume!

 7. Hire Someone Famous

Hire a local celebrity to do the tours such as the local sports team, an X Factor contestant, a reality TV star or similar. What could be more exciting than being shown around by a local celebrity? It’s also a great way to drum up some media publicity for the event – you could even invite TV crews, reporters or radio stations down to record a segment on the star studded open house.

 8. Organise Games for the Kids

If a house is family friendly then organising games for the kids can be a great way to give the adults an opportunity to view the house without having to worry about keeping their kids in line. It could be anything from Guitar Hero and PlayStation to a mini farm, bouncy castle or fairy floss machine. The kids will love it and be begging their parents to buy the place!

9. Have a Car Wash

What better way to attract people to your open house than offering a free car wash! Place signs at the end of your street and viewers will be rolling in. If you’re not keen to do it yourself get together the local kids together and offer to pay them in pocket money or treats.

10. Have a Garage Sale

This is an amazing idea for any home seller looking to vacate soon. They get to advertise their home, de-clutter and make a few extra pennies in the process. Not only will this draw in potential buyers but the garage sale could also attract viewers who hadn’t yet heard about the home open.

Wrapping It All Up

There is no reason to stick to a tried and tested open house formula as these tips show. You should also be able to put your own spin on these ideas and add, develop and amend as needed. If you put your thinking cap on, there is no reason why your open house events shouldn’t become the stuff of real estate folklore. Of course, it can require a lot of time, foresight and forward planning to pull off an unusual open house but, the effort that you dedicate to being creative and thinking outside of the box can make your proposition incredibly attractive to new clients.

We know that sometimes it can be difficult to take a step back and find time to be creative when you’re busy running a business and making sales. Which is why you can always rely on CityBlast for great ideas, tips and useful articles like these! Don’t forget, we can also apply this creative thinking to your social media. Why not see what other fantastic ideas we have up our sleeves and try our 14-day free trial out today?

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March 18 2014