Did you say yes to an Open House yesterday?

Buyers were roaming all over the city looking at Open Houses.  MLS advertised 342 Opens on Saturday and Sunday.  Some sellers were lucky and had a number of “lookers”.  Some properties just had one visitor.  And if you were a betting type- don’t your money on the home selling during an Open House.

So why have an Open House?

According to skeptics, Open Houses don’t benefit sellers.  Agents hold Opens to attract future clients.  The only people coming through are lookie-loos, neighbors, random passerby, and potential robbers. (pretty harsh)  And while skeptics have a point what’s wrong with neighbors, lookie-loos and the random passerby stopping to take a look?

Buying a home is not a snap decision.  The thought process can be triggered by wandering through a property and seeing options.  It’s true, not many homes sell during the actual Open House.  But the lookie-loos, neighbors and random visitors talk about what they’ve seen.  As a seller are you willing to lose an opportunity to spread the word about your house?

Search

Many of today’s buyers start their home search on the internet.  A listing with an Open House at a convenient time could attract their attention.  Sellers want to sell so opening your front door for an hour or two is a no-brainer.  Personally, I’m not a big fan of weekly Open Houses (except on new construction).  A strategic Open House timed immediately after listing or after a significant price reduction usually draw the most visitors.

Sellers want maximum exposure for their property so saying yes to an Open House amplifies the number of potential buyers.