Open Houses and Receiving Offers in Victoria BC

Going Live

The day your home goes on the market feels surreal. Your private space is suddenly public. Strangers are booked to walk through your rooms, open your closets, and judge whether your home is worth what you're asking. It's invasive, and it's also completely necessary.

Brad handles the logistics so the disruption to your life is minimal. He coordinates showing times, gives you advance notice, and provides feedback after every visit so you always know what buyers are thinking.

How Open Houses Work

An open house is a scheduled window (usually 1-3 hours on a weekend) where any interested buyer can walk through your home without a private appointment. Brad hosts every open house personally. He greets visitors, answers questions, highlights your home's best features, and collects contact information from every person who walks through.

Open houses serve two purposes. First, they generate foot traffic from buyers who might not book a private showing. Second, they create a sense of activity and urgency. When a buyer walks in and sees other people looking at the same home, it signals demand.

Your role during an open house

Leave. Seriously. Buyers are more comfortable exploring a home when the owner isn't there. Take the dog, take the kids, and go somewhere for a couple of hours. Make sure the home is clean, lights are on, and the temperature is comfortable. Brad handles everything else.

Private Showings

In addition to open houses, buyers and their agents will request private showings throughout the week. These are typically 20-30 minutes. Brad will coordinate the schedule with you and aim to batch showings together to minimize disruption. Keeping your home "show-ready" is the most inconvenient part of selling, but it pays off. Every showing is a potential offer.

When an Offer Comes In

When a buyer submits an offer, their agent sends the paperwork to Brad. He reviews every detail before presenting it to you. Here's what you'll see:

Offered price: What the buyer is willing to pay.
Deposit amount: Shows how serious the buyer is.
Conditions (subjects): Financing, inspection, title review, strata document review. More conditions mean more risk of the deal falling through.
Completion and possession dates: When the sale finalizes and when the buyer moves in.
Included items: What stays with the home (appliances, fixtures, etc.).

Your Options When You Receive an Offer

Accept: You agree to all terms. The contract is in effect.
Counter: You change one or more terms (price, dates, conditions) and send it back. The buyer can then accept, counter again, or walk away.
Decline: You reject the offer entirely. The buyer can submit a new one or move on.

Multiple Offers

If your home is priced right and the market is active, you may receive more than one offer. This is the best position a seller can be in. Brad manages the process transparently: he lets all buyers know that multiple offers have been received (without disclosing specific terms) and gives them the opportunity to submit their best and final offer by a deadline.

Brad then presents all offers to you side by side, explaining the strengths and risks of each. The highest price isn't always the best offer. A slightly lower offer with no conditions and a reliable buyer can be worth more than a higher offer loaded with subjects and uncertainty.

Brad's negotiation style: "My job is to get you the best possible outcome, not just the highest number on paper. I look at the full picture: price, conditions, deposit, buyer qualification, and closing timeline. Then I negotiate from a position of knowledge, not emotion."

Ready to Put Your Home on the Market?

Brad will walk you through the entire process, from open house strategy to offer negotiation. Let's get started.

Talk to Brad

Brad Sawyer is a REALTOR® with Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, born and raised in Victoria, BC.