Should I Still Hold My Open House In The Rain?

Posted by Jennie Temple on Feb 2, 2015 in Blog | 0 comments

It should be the responsibility of the listing agent to see that muddy feet don’t ruin nice carpeting or leave puddles on wood floors that might damage them.

Also, when a home is shown – either by an individual showing or an open house, we want the prospective buyer to feel welcome, warm and happy when they enter the home.

If you, the seller, are still living in the home, the listing agent might make suggestions on precautions you can take.  If they are unable to do so or if the home is vacant, here are some of the things I do to protect the property during the wet and windy weather.  Some of these can be done by a seller, but the listing agent can help with others.

1.  Make sure there is a good door mat outside all entrances to the home and a thin throw rug just inside the door if the day is rainy and muddy.  This will keep people from tracking mud into the house.

2.  Station a basket of paper booties just inside every entrance, with a sign asking guests to either remove their shoes or don booties over their shoes while in the house.  You may be able to find a basket for booties that has the request right on it. 

3.  I usually hang or lean an umbrella just inside the back door so that guests can check out the back yard without getting drenched.  They can doff their booties before stepping out and put them back on when they reenter.

4.  Make sure the thermostat is set at a comfortable level so that guests experience the joy of “coming home” to a warm house after being out in a storm. Perhaps stick on the dehumidifier on to take out the extra moisture from the rain.

5.  That welcoming warmth can be further enhanced and extended even before they step in by having a flowering potted plant on the front porch if possible.  Just in case your garden hasn’t yet grown in yet.

All in all, it can be more uncomfortable for a listing agent to hold a cold and rainy day open house, because there are signs to be put out and different preparations to be made that are unnecessary in warm weather, but it is my feeling that the open house guests that are willing to go out in bad weather to look at homes are usually serious buyers.  You won’t see many “looky-loos” who are simply out looking at houses because they have nothing else to do.  So if your agent suggests an open house, keep that in mind.

Buyers who come to see your home during bad weather are most likely ones who are committed to finding a home to buy.  As a seller, those are the ones you are hoping to entice to your home.

So to answer your question, YES, hold an open house on a rainy day! Don’t let the weather interfere with marketing your home.