I'm a big fan of open house viewings, writes David Lawrenson.

But the key to getting the most out of them is to understand the do's and don'ts.

Keeping a house tidy for viewings by potential buyers can be a real pain.

But washing up, putting away toys, chucking old papers and anything else that detracts from having the house looking like a show home just has to be done.

And if you are doing 'viewing to let' a property, where the old tenants are still in situ, keeping a place tidy can be a real pain for your tenants too.

Most landlords don't want to be bothering their tenants every evening and whilst some tenants may be kind and make an effort to tidy up the first night, they are under no obligation to, and after a few evenings, will probably come to see the effort as being just too much.

Therefore, there is a lot to be said for having an open house morning where potential tenants or buyers can come round altogether.

Common down under and in the US

Open days are quite common in Australia and the USA, but so far they don't seem to have caught on in the UK.

However, there are benefits to be had and more agents in the UK are now using them.

Open days are actually a bit of a misnomer. Open day is actually an "open hour" (or two hours for bigger houses) and they usually take place on a Saturday.

With an open viewing you can really make the effort to have the property looking at its very best as it will be seen by a number of interested parties in a short period.

You can offer viewers some wine and nibbles and try to give them a sense of the lifestyle that they will be buying or renting into.

Of course, it helps if the property is a good one and reasonably desirable!

Also, it helps if the market is buoyant and there is lots of demand from would be purchasers or tenants.

That said, even in quiet markets and more down market properties, there is still some benefit to be gained from doing an open viewing.

I've found that I always get a higher conversion rate from viewings made at the weekend than in the evenings - and viewings in the winter evenings are particularly bad.

On the dark winter evenings, people have more trouble finding the property in the first place; the traffic is usually worse which means you end up having to wait for the viewings long after you thought you would be home, the prospects usually arrive stressed out having been unable to find a place to park and are at the wrong end of a long working day.

Saturdays for best results

As a result, I now just do Saturday open hours.

It's less stressful for me, as I hate evening work and any tenants who are still living in the property prefer it too.

Of course, some prospective tenants will say that they can't do a weekend viewing. However, I've found that if you like the sound of them and you really sell the benefits of the property, you can usually get them to make an exception and come to an open viewing.

You just have to try that bit harder!

But here are some dos and don'ts.

If parking is a problem, an open day may not be a good idea. Always make sure that prospective viewers know where they can and cannot park as you don't want to fall out with the neighbours.

If getting there by public transport is possible, have a sheet prepared and email this to them with the journey options and times.

If your existing tenants are still in situ, agree the open hour time with them. They may want to be out of the house at the time, which is fine, but if you want to move things around to better present the property, ask them first.

Having fewer people around can in itself help to "de-clutter" the house and give an added sense of space.

However, if there are just one or two tenants and they can be relied upon to rave about the house, then it may help if they are around and viewers will appreciate the possibility of asking them questions about the property and the local area, questions that you may well struggle to answer.

Don't do the open house too early if you have tenants in situ. Some tenants can struggle to get up on a Saturday and their best intentions of tidying up and clearing away the old pizza may fade in the bright light of the morning.

All prospective viewers should be checked out. Don't feel guilty about asking for a land line number and always call them back to confirm the viewing on it.

Don't let people wander out of sight. Follow around discreetly (which means if you have a busy open house you may want a few people to help you)

All valuables should be put away out of sight, just in case.

Ideally, space the viewings about 15 to 30 minutes apart as you don't want too many people at once - just enough to create a sense of demand and competition.