The Drawbacks to Holding an Open House

Selling your home can be a costly, time-consuming ordeal that requires a number of formalities many people have become accustomed to in this day and age. When you consider today's technology, as well as the addition of an unprecedented pandemic, some of those rituals become obsolete, or sometimes completely impossible.

Take, for instance, the standard of open house home showings. Home sellers must set aside a chunk of time in which they won't be occupying the house, everything has to look perfectly maintained, and numerous potential buyers walk from room to room, meaning you need to clean up again when they leave. Take into consideration any sort of county or state restrictions from COVID-19 and it becomes almost impossible to create an open house showing that's both safe and legal.

Selling your home to FlashHouse, however, takes the open house showings out of the equation, as FlashHouse uses virtual showings on all the homes they purchase. Imagine taking the open house availability, guideline guesswork, and home showings out of the equation by selling your home directly to FlashHouse!

The Drawbacks of Holding an Open House

Creating Availability

One of the biggest issues with holding an open house is scheduling blocks of time, usually on weekends, in which you're meant to be out of the house. During a more normal year, this can already be an issue, especially if you have multiple kids who need to be out of the home as well. Throw in the current pandemic and being out of the house becomes an even more strenuous task, as posting up at a coffee shop for a few hours may not be an option anymore. Trying to fill that time when you're out of the house is one of the biggest drawbacks to hosting an open house, and can create an added stress to an already stressful situation.

Keeping a Perfectly Maintained Atmosphere

Those of us with kids know well the near impossibility of keeping a perfect home, ready to be presented at any time. The idea of having to have a perfectly picked up and pristine environment every time you show your home can be daunting, especially when you know that during that time, multiple people are walking through your house, possibly tracking in dirt and mud from outdoors. This means that time and money spent keeping everything looking fresh and perfect can significantly increase, leaving you to do the work yourself or pay a company to clean multiple times a week.

Unqualified Prospects

Hosting an open house is essentially inviting anyone in the neighborhood, the city, or even the state to come see your home, regardless of whether they're qualified to purchase it or even in the market for a new home. This sort of invitation doesn't get you any closer to actually selling your home, and adds to the number of people who have walked through your space, which would ideally be minimized, especially during a pandemic.

Potential Theft

Though this is on the rarer side of normal open house drawbacks, security is certainly an ever-present issue when it comes to showing your home to strangers. A realtor is generally present during the entirety of an open house showing, but with numerous potential home buyers wandering from room to room, it's not always easy to keep an eye on everyone at all times. Unless your valuables are all safely tucked away in a safe or hidden in an inconspicuous place, you can't always guarantee that minor theft may happen during these open houses. If it does, tracking down these items or recouping anything that has been stolen is near impossible.

Safety Issues

It's nice to think that everyone who would come to see your home is a potential buyer, but unfortunately that's not always the case. People looking to take advantage of the situation may come to an open house showing simply to check and understand the security weaknesses and layout of your home. Since people who come to open house showings generally are walking in off the street, anyone can come in and get an understanding of the ways they may later break in or vandalize your home.

COVID-19 Restrictions

Due to ever-changing COVID restrictions from county or state officials, the rules on home showings are never straightforward during 2020 and even into 2021. With large gatherings generally prohibited, it can be difficult to schedule an open house when you're uncertain as to how many people will be in your home at a time. Plus, with the added uncertainty with where those people have been or whether they have symptoms of COVID-19, it creates an unsafe environment in the place you call home, as potential home buyers are certain to touch surfaces like door knobs, counters, and more.

Sell Your Home to FlashHouse

The process for selling your home to FlashHouse simply takes the drawbacks of hosting open house showings out of the equation. When you request a competitive cash offer from us:

1. Our team of buyers reviews the sale prices of homes similar to yours. We've purchased and sold thousands of homes, so we understand the market trends of your area.
2. We take into consideration any unique features of your specific home, adjusting for factors like size, condition, and upgrades.
3. Small adjustments are made based on market trends, and we reach out with any questions we may have.
4. We send you a competitive offer!

Don't let open house showings get in the way of selling your home, especially during a pandemic. Make the easy choice and contact us at FlashHouse today. We'll buy your house at a competitive rate without the hassle of hosting an open house!