6. Have a sign-in sheet ready to accompany your property fact sheets. Remember, you are exchanging facts with your visitors. If they have the right to enter your house and learn things about it, you have a right to know who they are. A sign-in sheet will also help you evaluate the effectiveness of your advertising. Your realtor will probably prepare such a sheet for you. If not, you can prepare your own sheet, asking visitors to provide their:

• name
• address
• phone number, and
• how they learned about the house.

7. Be prepared for people who aren't serious buyers, or worse. You're bound to attract some "lookie-lous" who just go looking at houses for the fun of it when they have no intention of making a purchase. Then there are the "nosy nerds" -- neighbors who look at houses in their immediate neighborhood, in order to pat themselves on the back or console themselves concerning their own homes -- even though they have no intention of selling in the near future. The good news is, if they like your place, they may call a friend who's househunting.

In the worst case, your house may be visited by people whose only interest is to pocket some silver, cash, keys, prescription medications, or your ATM card. Hide or lock away all valuables.

8. Be prepared to talk with potential buyers. If you'll be at home during the open house, make small talk about neutral subjects, such as family and neighborhood. Don't go overboard praising your house or its amenities. Too much praise may seem phony. Many people look at hundreds of homes; others check out houses as a hobby and don't ever really plan to buy one. If one person doesn't seem clearly interested, concentrate on someone who does.

9. Don't volunteer personal information that may be used against you. If you'll be personally interacting with buyers, don't tell them that you're anxious to sell because you're starting a new job out of state soon. Instead, listen carefully to buyers' questions and comments, which will offer clues to their underlying interests. For example, if prospective buyers seem intent on verifying district boundaries of local schools, they obviously have or are planning to have children. Focus your discussion on the school district and other child-related attractions, such as a nearby park or day care center.