From Homescape

An Oscar-themed soiree with fancy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and an open house featuring a worldly selection of wine and cheeses are giving a whole new meaning to today’s dog-eat-dog home-selling market. I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal on a growing trend among real estate professionals hosting swanky parties at listed properties to lure in prospective buyers. It’s another creative way Realtors are showcasing their clients’ homes.

Top chef
In my former life, I worked as an event planner and catering manager. I regularly worked with Realtors to cater open houses. Most of the homes I catered were in the multimillion dollar bracket, but I think this clever marketing idea can also benefit agents selling properties in the mid-to-lower-level price ranges.

A festive atmosphere during an open house helps energize a property. It creates a warm and welcoming ambience, and makes the home feel more livable. Each time I planned an event, I avoided tossing a bunch of appetizers on a plate and leaving them out on a table by the front door (which many Realtors tend to do). Instead, my goal was always to create a dinner or cocktail party similar to one the prospective buyers might throw if this were their own home.

Catering tips

Depending on your budget, it could be expensive to hire a wait staff to serve the food. If you can’t afford it, lay out the food yourself, but make sure it’s done tastefully and decoratively. Here are some simple catering tips for an open house:

Prepare easy finger foods. Cheese on crackers is always popular and not very costly. But try to avoid cheese from a can. If you decide to serve meat or fruit, I recommend skewering them, because they’re easier to carry when people are touring the home. Always cut sandwiches into easy–to-hold square pieces. And use miniature wontons or pie crust if you serve appetizers with fillings. They’re easy to eat and create less of a mess.

Add decorative garnishes on the serving platters. Instead of using an ordinary sauce bowl, I like carving out green or red bell peppers and filling them with dipping sauces. Place fresh flowers, sans stems, on the serving platters to add some lively colors.

Don’t use plastic plates, flatware and glasses. Go for the good China and silverware. You want to recreate the most realistic experience for the buyer. Plastic can send the message of cheap.

Serve food in the kitchen or dining room. Most people entertain their guests in these rooms, so serving food at the entrance of the home is not only an awkward place, but it doesn’t help showcase the room’s functionality.

Utilize the home’s oven or stove. Whether it’s a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies or toasted garlic crackers, the aromas wafting from the oven can create a warm, inviting feeling for buyers as they pass through the kitchen.

Depending on the number of visitors expected to tour the home, most restaurants can cater an open house for 60 people for under $100. I’ve even seen Realtors on shoestring budgets make over Subway sandwiches to look like a five-star meal. It’s always good to send out invitations to your prospective clients so you can get an accurate head count. Adding some fun food and drink to an open house is definitely a tasteful marketing plan worth nibbling at.

Would a fancy party at a listed property help convince you to buy a home?

Got hot local housing tips or a story you want to share? Contact Amy Le at openingdoorsblog@homescape.com.