nosey neighbors

How to host your own open house:

1. Choose a lazy summer Sunday when eight to ten houses in your neighborhood are hosting open houses.

2. Visit the homes that are your competition.

3. Use your two year-old son as a decoy when Realtors start asking too many questions ("Are you looking to buy a house? Are you currently working with a realtor? Do you live in the area?").

4. Stalk young couples leaving your competition and strike up a friendly conversation ("I see your license plate--are you from New York? How long have you been in Charlotte? Do you like the neighborhood?").

5. Casually mention that you have a 2 bedroom/1 bath house on the market just down the street that you're happy to have them check out if they have a minute. Ask them to follow you in their car and then go open the door for them. Leave them alone to let them see how your house far outweighs the competition (wink!).

This wasn't exactly our plan for Sunday afternoon, but it happens to be how things turned out. At 2:00, we received a call asking to show our house at 3:00. Since we'd just been through a whirlwind cleaning the day before, the house was primed and ready for a show. We happily obliged and decided to check out a slew of open houses in our neighborhood to pass the time. As we were leaving a 2 bedroom/1 bath we saw a cute couple that we thought might be interested in looking at our house, so...(see above).

We haven't received feedback from the actual, legitimate, showing yet, but it was a second showing and (after checking out the competition in person) I'm pretty confident that we have the best deal going. The painters show up tomorrow, by the way, so we'll be brighter on the inside and out. Stay tuned for another before and after!