Tips for holding an open house and talking with potential buyers.

If you're selling your house, an open house is a great way to increase its visibility and bring in people who might not have made an appointment for a personal visit. Your realtor, assuming you have one, should take care of many of the tasks described below. In fact, your realtor may suggest that you spend the open house hours away from home. Whether you stay for the open house or not, however, here are some important ways you can help.

1. Hire a babysitter or dogwalker. Even if you plan to stay home during the open house, your children and pets should not. Children may be underfoot or blurt out something that you'd rather a prospective buyer not hear. Arrange for them to visit a friend or relative during open house times. And although your pets would probably charm some visitors, they might also scare some or cause allergies. Worse yet, pets might escape through doors and windows that visitors leave ajar. Best to find a friend or a dogwalker to take them for a few hours.

2. Advise your immediate neighbors (ideally, a few days in advance). They'll no doubt appreciate knowing that a herd of cars and people are about to fill your street. Politely ask that they not let their dogs wander outside, or choose that day to fill the sidewalk with throwaways from their garage. But don't say no if an enterprising neighbor's child wants to set up a lemonade stand!

3. Add final touches to make the house look good. Look at your house with a critical eye. Throw open the curtains, turn on lights, wipe off any recent dust or dirt, add a vase of flowers to a dark corner, and even stuff an oversized piece of furniture into the trunk of your car. Walk along the sidewalk to make sure no one has left any garbage lying around.

4. Anticipate buyers' questions. Think about buyers' practical needs and probable questions, and advise your realtor of the answers before the open house. For example:

• Estimate the walking or driving time to the nearby commute train or bus, even if you don't use public transportation. Get copies of fare rates and schedules for visitors to see.
• Go through your home with a view toward its potential -- for example, adding a room in the basement, remodeling the bathroom to add a stall shower, enclosing the porch, or whatever might strike a buyer's fancy. (But never, if you have personal discussions with buyers, make any claims about the feasibility or cost of such improvements.)
• Understand your legal obligation to disclose material facts about the property. This may mean having copies of pest or inspection reports ready.

5. Be ready a little early. If your open house is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m., the open house signs will need to be in position by 1:45. Everyone who's supposed to be inside or away from the house should also be in or out by that time. Why? Because people will probably start arriving as soon as they see the first sign or as soon as the appointed hour strikes, whichever comes first. You don't want to keep your public waiting.