Pearland Open House or No Open House?

Pearland Open House or No Open House?

I get questioned quite often on if clients should there be an open house or no open House?

Pearland Open houses are a bit of a confusing prospect for many home sellers. Some real estate agents swear by them, while others don't ever hold open houses. The question is: where, as a Pearland Realtor, do I stand on the open house debate?

Over there years I have tried open houses, just to see if something has changed.  But, each time I have to say No nothing has changed.  Yes, I have picked up buyers for other homes but, seldom have I sold one of the homes I have held and open house.

Open houses certainly have a purpose in today's real estate market. They can draw a big crowd and generate loads of interest. However, on the opposite end, they can attract no more than curious neighbors and passers by. I recently had one of my favorite clients tell me they were the Sunday open house attendees.  I asked them why? Their response was "we like to see homes and also to see how the homes were decorated."

• The first thing I know is that we (my team and the homeowners) must prepare in advance for an open house. The house has to be in pristine condition and it has to be staged to show well. The purpose of and open house is to wow potential buyers the moment they walk through the door.
• Secondly, the owners must leave the house for the duration of the open house. And, because open houses are typically done on a weekend day, this could seriously cut into their down time. Most open houses last about two to four hours, so expect to be gone at least that long.
• Next, you can never be sure of your open house turnout. You can prepare for days and leave the house for the better part of a Saturday or Sunday only to have little or no people show. And, as always, you're at the mercy of the weather. Have an open house during bad weather conditions and you can be sure most buyers will chose to stay home.
• Finally, you must be prepared for strangers to tour your home; many of whom have absolutely no interest in purchasing a home. Nor or they qualified to purchase in the price range of the subject property. Many sellers are more than reluctant to open their doors for an open house knowing that a stream of strangers will be marching through their home, looking through their kitchen cupboards and bedroom closets.  

However, even given all of these not-so-positive features of holding an open house, I truly believe that if your home is priced right, staged well, and advertised correctly with plenty of pictures and entered on multiple sites of the Internet your home should be shown by qualified buyers.