Making a variety of food options available is a thoughtful way to make an open house experience more enjoyable for those taking the tour, show off your attention to detail and create a positive impression with potential clients. But the occasion doesn’t typically warrant a full-blown caterer either, so purchasing and displaying the snacks is a small business investment that can easily have a larger return should the visit lead to acquiring a new client. Here are some insights on what and how to offer.
In general, you want to choose foods that are clean, meant to be eaten quickly and likely to have wide appeal. Scents should also be considered—will the smell be off-putting to homebuyers or make the house more inviting? Common allergy items—say, nuts—can be written off immediately, as can foods that are messy or difficult to eat.
Offering snacks at an open house can be the cherry-on-top of your presentation (pun intended)—something that adds a nice touch to help visitors and potential clients feel at ease and welcome. There’s no universal standard for everyone’s palette, but these options are a good, safe bet. But don’t fret about it too much; you can’t please everyone with every food choice you make—just like how a home, no matter how beautiful, may not be everything a buyer is interested in.
Veggie platter (with or without dip)
A veggie platter is a good start. The food is nutritious and it comes with a variety of options from carrots to celery and your typical crudités platter to the dip options—hummus, ranch, buffalo, etc.
This offering is also easy to buy and to add a tiny bit of flair to it. Buy the tray pre-packaged, then assemble the vegetables on a plate, rather than just popping open the plastic box the food came in. To keep things clean, set up the platter next to napkins and paper plates, with disposable spoons for the dip. This is a more inviting and cleanlier atmosphere, while also encouraging the visitors to not just crowd around the platter and take a piece one at a time.
Cookies
It’s rare that you can go wrong with cookies. There’s nothing wrong with buying pre-packaged, but freshly baked can offer an extra whiff of care. Personally baked cookies allow the chance for decoration—say, cut them into house shapes or include “welcome home” written in frosting. Be sure plenty of plates and napkins are handy to avoid crumbs hitting the floor. Alternatively, you could gift wrap the cookies and give them away at the end of the tour, transferring the crumb risk away from you and your clients.
Be wary of allergies too, especially if the cookies are store bought. If there’s any risk (like nuts, for instance), put out a table card with a warning.
Water bottles
When you’re showing a house, especially in the summer, you want to present the house as cool or temperate. If those touring the home think they’ll be living in a sauna when it gets hot, they’ll be less likely to buy.
Air conditioning is a plus, but another way to cool off? Cold water. If the open house is going to be on a hot day, buy some water bottles (considering how many attendees you think will be there) and place them in neatly arranged rows on a fold-out table near the entrance. Consider even adding your brokerage branding to the bottles using stickers or custom wrappers. The people coming in to browse or buy can take one at their leisure. Going the extra mile, you can also include a recycling bin by the table.
Water carries no risk of crumbs, of course, but a spill is a possibility. Be sure to have paper towels on hand.
Coffee
Consider offering coffee, either in a coffee machine or a selection of instant options or just grab a pre-made box of coffee from your local coffee shop. If it’s a morning tour, you will be a lifesaver to a buyer that had to skip their own coffee run that morning. By the time you’ve led enough tours throughout the day, you might need the coffee yourself.
If it’s autumn or winter, offering another hot drink alongside the coffee is a great option. There’s no better fall treat than warm apple cider or a hot cocoa on a snowy day. So long as you invest in paper cups and napkins too, coffee can bring the right energy to your open house.
Agents, what do you like offering guests at your open houses? Let us know in the comments!
