When I make my marketing presentation to a seller, one of the things I emphasize is my willingness and availability for Sunday open houses. Often I am asked, “Isn’t that just a way for you to advertise yourself? What good does it do my house?”
Yes, of course open houses are an opportunity for me to meet prospective buyers, and to meet your neighbors who might be selling their homes in the future. From my perspective, however, that is not their primary purpose. Open houses are a very useful tool in the successful sale of a home, for the following reasons:
– Realtors working with multiple buyers have a limited amount of time available to show houses. Buyers will often work with their buyers’ broker to identify a list of suitable homes that are open on Sunday, so that the buyer can maximize viewing opportunities. If your house is open, chances are that qualified buyers will come through, taking advantage of a low-pressure opportunity to see your home.
– Do you feel your house is better on the inside than it is from the street? An open house is an excellent way to let people see that. Buyers are often discouraged from looking at a house with less street appeal when they see exterior photos in RMLS. However, if a buyer drives by and sees that the house is open, they’re more likely to look inside even if the exterior isn’t appealing. The same principle holds true for houses in less-than-ideal locations … if your interior is the selling point, then getting buyers inside is a key factor for your successful sale.
– Word of mouth sells houses. Are you afraid that you’ll get all your neighbors through your open house? That’s actually the best thing you could hope for. Your neighbors have friends and relatives who might be interested in living near them.
– People talk when they’re in your house. I am always listening to what people say; casual comments reveal a great deal about how the house shows, and may provide clues regarding drawbacks or positive points that weren’t obvious when the house was listed. In the case of one particular home I had listed, I learned that a major barrier to the sale was the fact that there wasn’t a tub in the master suite. This was not feedback given to me by any broker who showed the house … but I heard it repeatedly from people who came through my open houses. The seller ended up providing an estimate to install a tub in the master bath, which helped buyer perception.
The bottom line is that open houses benefit you as a seller. I always leave the choice up to the seller, but my enthusiasm and availability to expose your house thoroughly on the market is one of the advantages I offer as part of my hands-on, personal service.
Joan Rogers is an experienced, full-time, professional real estate broker affiliated with John L Scott Real Estate. Your comments and questions are welcome; comments may be used as future article topics. Joan is a dedicated full service broker for buyers and sellers in the Portland Metro area. Joan may be contacted privately via email at joanro@johnlscott.com. All material on this site is copyright protected.
