Open houses – when any interested parties can view a property without a prior appointment – are an effective way to get feet through the door and increase exposure for your property.

You agent will take care of the marketing, publicity and the actual showing for your open house in Cayman, but to get the most out of it, as the seller you need to prepare the property well in advance.

Why have an open house in Cayman?

For potential buyers, an open house is a more informal way to see a property than a private showing, while for owners it’s a convenient alternative to arranging and coordinating multiple viewings over several weeks or months. View upcoming open houses in Cayman here.

Some of those who show up at an open house will inevitably be casual browsers, who are simply curious, but some will also be motivated buyers who show up with their agents and may be ready to make an offer.

Open houses also give your agent an opportunity to do some valuable market research: not only will they get a sense of how much interest the listing is generating, but they will also be able to get feedback from numerous potential buyers: their overall impression of value for money, the aspects they like and those that may be turning them off. That feedback will be priceless as a few home improvements can vastly increase the property’s appeal.

How to prepare your Cayman Islands property for an open house

To appeal to the widest audience, you need to go beyond cleaning and tidying. You’ll want to create a neutral scene, so that potential buyers can envisage themselves living in that space. This isn’t something you can in a day: you want to start preparing for several weeks ahead. The good news is, if you do this well, when you secure a sale and the time comes to pack up and move, you’ll be halfway there already.

A month before your open house

Around a month before your open house, you’ll want to attend to some of those jobs that might have been pending for a while. Things like:

• Painting inside and/or outside
• Cleaning grouting in bathrooms and kitchens
• Replacing lightbulbs
• Tidying up the yard or garden
• Clearing out garages/storage spaces

A large part of preparing your home for an open house is about decluttering and de-personalizing. We all accumulate possessions and we all like to put our personal stamp on the interior style. But prospective buyers don’t want to see this. They want to see a property’s potential: is it spacious enough for their family? Is there enough storage? How can they personalise it?

Clutter makes any space feel small and untidy, so start going through your possessions – start in the least used areas, like the garage or junk room, then progress to living spaces – and sell, donate or recycle anything you haven’t used in the last year. 

Next, go through your cupboards and closets. Cupboards crammed to the brim suggest lack of storage, so a good rule of thumb is to aim to reduce your possessions by half (even if that means paying for storage elsewhere for a while) then organise them neatly to show there is space for much more.

Take a critical look at your furniture. Is it looking shabby or is it oversized for the space? It may be best to remove those pieces.

If you have young children, can you make their bedrooms gender- and age-neutral? This will help prospective buyers who don’t have young kids to picture themselves living there.

One to two weeks before your open house

A dirty house is a sure-fire way to put buyers off, so make sure your home is spotless. You might want to call on professionals to do those once-a-year jobs like:

• shampooing rugs
• steam-cleaning upholstery
• laundering drapes
• cleaning the windows

Next, declutter and depersonalise the family spaces: take down the paintings and lists pinned to the refrigerator, put away family photos, personal trinkets and souvenirs.

Make sure tables and countertops are clear, and bookshelves and dressers are not crowded with possessions; instead, clear them completely or style them with a few well-chosen neutral accessories.

This is also a good time to think about curb appeal. Clear out those gutters, make sure your front door is clean and shiny, and perhaps frame the entrance with a couple of planters and clean doormat.

On the day of your open house

The major jobs are done and today is when you stage your property. Don’t forget to:

• Open blinds and drapes, and turn on lights (even in the daytime)
• Open windows or turn a/c on, depending on the time of year
• Make sure the place smells pleasant: fresh flowers, scented candles or air freshener will do the job
• Empty all garbage and stow trash cans out of sight
• Empty washing machine, dishwasher, draining board
• Remove pet paraphernalia: bowls, beds, toys
• Remove pets from home for the duration of the open house
• Remove cars from garages add doorways
• Put away laundry
• Store valuables and personal paperwork
• Make beds with fresh linens
• Hang clean towels in bathrooms
• Close toilet seats
• Close toilet seats
• Put away toothbrushes, toiletries, cleaning products

Now, all you need do is vacate the property for a couple of hours while your agent takes care of showing it.

If you’d like to hold an open house in Cayman, contact one of our agents, who will be delighted to advise and assist.