Yale House Tour: My First Open House

The completed Yale House.

Before we bought the house

Today I am thrilled to finally present the completed Yale House. I'm partial, not only because Jordan transformed it into a lovely home, but also because it was where that I hosted my very first open house, last May. 

Did you know the purpose of an open house is not to sell the home? It's actually a way for realtors and brokers to find new clients and for nosy neighbors to take a peak inside. We had discovered this the hard way back when we were new buyers, popping into homes without an agent, only to learn that the houses were often already under contract. Knowing this, when it came time to sell the Yale house, we decided not to host an open house. Instead, we planned to list the home on the MLS and wait for buyers to make showing appointments. 

But then I remembered all the open houses I'd been to over the years...beginning when I was about ten, on dates with my Dad in our neighborhood. And then in college with Jordan, viewing Palm Beach mansions, and later in Denver, dreaming about buying our very own bungalow. 

I'd just completed my broker's license, and the Yale House was the first I was selling as the agent rather than the owner. An open house might be kind of fun! Plus, I'd get to hear feedback on the changes we'd made to the home. So I borrowed open house signs from my company, and sifted through my closet searching for my best real estate broker outfit.

Our new plan was simple: put the house on the market Thursday night, host the open house on Saturday, offer private showings Sunday, receive offers on Monday, and accept one on Tuesday. (Yes, the Denver market is that crazy right now.) 

However, a small glitch threatened to ruin our plan. The night I was to list the home, the MLS system was under construction. Our home couldn't be listed, so no one would know it was for sale unless they happen to drive by. I frantically called my managing broker, who walked me through some ideas, but nothing worked. He suggested listing the home on Zillow and Craigslist, in hopes of drawing some attention. I also desperately posted the listing on Facebook. And we waited until Saturday morning, hoping someone--anyone--would come to our open house. 

Saturday dawned and I was so nervous! Even though I'd recently passed the broker's exam, and had already been a part of six buying and selling transactions as the owner, it was the first time I'd listed a home myself. What if someone asked me a question I couldn't answer? What if I couldn't remember all of the house stats? I drilled Jordan: "What material is the roof made of? Which appliances have warranties? What year was the house built?" I wrote 1946 on the palm of my hand.

My first visitors were easy. Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim were full of compliments and asked no difficult questions. The next guests were neighbors, curious to see how the house had changed. They were full of compliments, too. And then some real live, prospective buyers came in. A twenty-something gal and her parents. She was full of compliments and her parents were full of questions. I fielded most of her Dad's competently, and was only thrown off when he asked about insulation in the garage-turned-kitchen. "Let me chat with the contractor about that and get back to you," I smiled, eyeing Jordan who was inconspicuously perusing the house, pretending to be a buyer, our baby strapped on his chest.

Some people had noticed the open house signs, others saw our postings online. Though it wasn't as crowded as I'd hoped, I was happy to have anyone at all viewing the home. I tried to give our visitors space, pretending to spruce up the fake plants in the rooms next to them, straining to hear their comments.

One couple had been touring for at least twenty minutes when I overheard them trying to decide where they would fit their dinning room table. 

I texted Jordan, "Good sign: A couple is imagining themselves in the house."

Shortly after, they started asking me questions about the home, the schools, the neighborhood. They seemed pleased with my responses.

Then the gal got down to business: "Well, we've never bought a house before. What do we do?" 

"Oh, how exciting!" I said. Oh no! I have no idea! I thought. 

"Let me explain the process a little bit." What's the process?? 

"So one of the first things you'll want to do is"...ummmmmm...."get pre-approved for a mortgage! Do you have a lender?" How did I know that? 

They did not have a lender, so I gave them some names. 

...

By the end of the weekend, we had two official offers on the home and accepted the (better) one from this sweet couple. As it turns out, sometimes an open house does sell a home.

So please, take yourself on the tour...

I posted a few small 'before' pictures below the 'after' pictures. 

Be sure to let me know if you have any questions about roof materials or appliance warranties. I may just need to check the palm of my hand first.

Above: The base of the chandelier broke while Jordan was trying to hang it. But we thought it looked better without the glass bottom. We replaced the regular bulbs with large, round ones.
Below: The window you see through the archway is the same window to the right of the clock above.

Adding a wet bar in the hallway was a great way to modernize and use wasted space while connecting the kitchen and dinning room. 

In this space, Jordan added canned lighting, refinished the floors, and painted the walls.

More before and after pictures of the garage-turned-kitchen here

More on the loveliest basement bedroom here

Much of the beautiful staging is thanks to my talented cousins, Casey and Jena, who helped me clean and decorate.

More bathroom pictures here

The two upstairs bedrooms received a coat of paint and refinished floors.

In the existing bathroom, Jordan replaced a row of alternating flowered tiles with these green glass ones, painted the walls, and switched out the mirror and light fixture.

The backyard received a garage, new grass, a fire pit, a patio, and a deck!