Hosting an open house for your client or for another agent is a great way to network with buyers and sellers in your community. December is a great month to host and decorate festive holiday-inspired open house!
Below are 10 easy ways to create an open house that feels like a holiday home tour!
1. Evergreen everywhere! Decorate with winter greenery
Source: Virtuance
Bring winter indoors by placing winter greenery and garland on the mantle, railings, and kitchen. If you can use live greenery, do! This will help add a wintery aroma to the space.
Source: Virtuance
A trendy twist on greenery is to incorporate dried orange slices. Here is a great tutorial on how to create dried orange garland: DIY | SIMPLE DRIED ORANGE GARLAND FOR CHRISTMAS
2. Decorate open shelves with holiday knick knacks
Source: Virtuance
Create a fun and festive holiday atmosphere at your open house by adding little knick knacks. This time of year, you can find Santas, reindeer, and snowmen at local thrift and antique stores. There are also plenty of options in the Target $1 section!
Source: Virtuance
If you’re worried about the investment of knick knacks for your open houses, you can always consider gifting them to your clients when they close around the holidays!
3. Create a hot chocolate bar with marshmallows and candy canes
Source: Little Spice Jar
A hot chocolate bar is a cozy and inviting way to get visitors to warm (literally) up to you. You can assemble your hot chocolate bar on the kitchen island or any space meant for gathering. Use mason jars to hold the candy canes, marshmallows, toffee bits and any other fun ingredients
4. Tap into sensory marketing with soft holiday music
We talk a lot about the importance of sensory marketing for real estate agents. A holiday-themed open house is the optimal time to use these tools. Stream holiday music through a speaker in one of the main rooms.
If you’re looking for a playlist with mostly instrumentals, play A Charlie Brown Christmas Album. Not only is it soothing, but it’s also widely recognized.
5. Place a seasonal wreath on the front door
Source: Virtuance
The exterior of your open house should always be inviting. Welcome visitors with a lovely seasonal wreath. While you can’t really go wrong with your wreath choice, one that is mostly evergreen with a nice bow will give off the most holiday feel.
6. Heat up a simmer pot of feel-good holiday smells
Source: Half Baked Harvest
In addition to soft holiday music, festive smells like cinnamon, cloves, and fresh pine can enhance the open house experience for your visitors. Instead of using candles or a diffuser, go for homemade! Here is a simple recipe for the simmer pot pictured above.
7. Cozy up the couch with plaid and red throw pillows
Source: Virtuance
If your open house is already furnished, you can create extra coziness by adding wintery colors and patterns. Add some plaid, flannel, and red throw pillows to the couch in the family room.
8. Make the exterior twinkle with string lights
Source: Virtuance
While open houses are typically hosted during the day, your listing can continue to benefit into dusk with sparkly string lights. Picture buyers and neighbors at your open house seeing the exterior adorned with string lights later in the evening! If you’re hosting open houses in December for your listing, you really should to take advantage of this nostalgic festivity
9. Attract neighbors with seasonal open house door hanger
Source: Virtuance
Open houses are an easy and fun way to meet members of the community. Invite neighbors to tour the home by placing festive door hangers on their front doors. (Make sure you have permission/permits to do this first.) Create a custom open house door hanger with our free templates.
10. Set out no-bake holiday desserts
Odds are, you’re probably baking more frequently than usual this month. Take a step back from the oven and make some easy no-bake holiday treats for your open house. A spread of no-bake desserts is the cherry on top for your festive and fun open house.
With these 10 quick and easy steps, you are well on your way to the most jolly open house of the season!
Bright images for your jolly open house
Hosting an open house takes preparation, including decluttering the home and professional photography. To make your life easier, consider using Virtuance as your real estate photography service provider to enhance your open house marketing campaign. Virtuance’s award-winning listing photography attracts more buyers and sells listings faster than the competition. Consider decorating the listing before your scheduled photoshoot. The Christmas-themed real estate images will increase interest and boost attendance. Schedule your Virtuance photoshoot today to help market your upcoming Christmas-themed open house.
FAQ
Although the holidays are notoriously slow for real estate, you should still host a Christmas-themed open house. Winter offers numerous motivated buyers and an opportunity to build your lead list for the upcoming year
It is important to connect with people over the holiday season. Express gratitude with cards and gifts. Meet new people by volunteering and participating in community events. Take time to analyze your past year marketing strategy and develop your new year strategy.
While Christmas is an exciting holiday for most people, there are some things to avoid when hosting a Christmas-themed open house. Try and remove the homeowner’s personal items, like pictures and stockings with names. Buyers should see the space as their own, not the seller’s.
Additionally, try and avoid abundantly religious decor. Keeping the decor neutral will appease most attendees.
