That's the question I was just asked by a visitor to the open house I am sitting.
I told her that I can't speak for other realtors but that I enjoy holding open houses. It gives me the chance to meet new clients and get in out of the scorching Arizona heat. I know that most likely I won't sell the house in which I'm sitting and I will sift through a lot of nosey neighbors & people who already have a realtor, but as we know real estate is a numbers game. I have a better chance of meeting a new client at an open house than I do sitting at home or at the office watching my phone, hoping it will ring!
I know that same question is one that my broker asks often to agents in our office. All too often they come into the office moping about having no business, can't find new buyers, don't know how to get a hold of sellers....on and on the whining goes. After a minute of two, my broker inevitably asks...."have you tried open houses?" to which the agent provides a litany of excuses as to why they have not held any open houses. "So the straight answer then is NO," she replies and of course they have to admit that's the truth. Then she'll ask....."so what methods are you using to find new clients?" and they go on to talk about all the things they are doing or often, not doing. Inevitably the next question she asks is "and how is that working for you?" to which they generally have to admit...."not to well!"
The first house I ever sold was to clients I met at an open house. No it wasn't the house at which I was sitting but a new build that we found the next day when we went looking. Since that first sale, I have had several others as a direct result of having sat an open house.
Do I get new clients at each open house I sit? No, to have that expectation is not realistic. Are there days that I'm bored out of my skull....not usually because I always have my laptop and if nothing else, I can get in my daily dose of activerain!
Open houses are FREE and a great means of exposure. So get out there and hold an open this week! It'll do you business good!
Comments(3)