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Are Open Houses Still Important? 3 Reasons to Save Time

By
Real Estate Agent with Century 21 Bell Real Estate

Are Open Houses Still Important in Selling a Home?

 

Three Reasons You May Want to Save Your Time

 

Whether you're in the early stages of the home selling process or your home has been on the market for some time, you may be considering hosting an open houses or two in order to welcome potential buyers in to see your property. Let's take a look at three reasons you may want to pass on the idea of open houses in order to invest your time in other areas which may lead to a faster sale. 

*Most Buyers Start Their House Hunt Online

According to statistics from the National Association of REALTORS®, the majority of home buyers begin their house hunt by browsing through online real estate listings. If you have had professional photos taken and have a well-designed property listing which highlights the features and amenities in your home, you may find that the time and money you would spend hosting open houses is better spent marketing your listing and conducting private viewings.

 

 

*There's Too Many Listings To Tour Them All 

Depending on where you live, there is anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of homes on the market at any given time. The sheer number of houses and condos available makes the prospect of visiting so many open houses seem daunting to many buyers, so many tend to skip this step in favor of booking viewings for homes they're interested in.

 

 

 *A Virtual Open House Allows Buyers To Tour 24/7
Many real estate websites offer the attach dozens of photos and videos to your listing, essentially offering you the ability to host a virtual "open house" online where prospective buyers can get a feel for your property before deciding if they would like to see more. If you can provide a buyer with the ability to tour through your home from their mobile phone, there's little sense in going through the preparation and expense of hosting open houses. Even if you do, you may find that few people decide to show up.

It's important to note that the best source of advice when selling your home is a professional real estate agent who has experience with homes sales in your area.

Contact Connie Webb at 307.630.7637 in the Cheyenne Wyoming area,  before you start the home selling process and I will  be able to suggest the best approach for marketing your home to interested local buyers.

RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

I see open houses as less of an opportunity to sell a home and more of an opportunity to pick up buyers to work with, however they are also helpful to satisfy nosey neighbors who may know someone who would like to live in the area. Sellers still want them, and therefore I will do them to appease the seller, but I'm really likely going to pick up another buyer to work with.

Nov 25, 2014 06:23 AM
Chuck Tanner
Keller Williams Realty - Atlanta, GA
Associate Broker "Let's Get You Moving"

Connie, the last open house that I did was a total flop. Let me share what I did:

1) Ran an ad in the paper advertising the open house.

2) Made up flyers.

3) I had some door hangers made up and walked around the surrounding neighborhood hanging 100 door hangers inviting the neighbors to a sneak preview.

4) Advertised the open house on Trulia, Realtor.com, the local MLS, Craigslist.

5) I sent out 2000 emails to the agents within a certain radius of the house.

6) I had open house signs starting about 4 miles up the road.

7) of course I had some treats.

8) I had one of my loan officers there.

Guess how many people showed up? I did have it on a Saturday, drumroll..............NONE, not one single person showed up!

Nov 25, 2014 06:31 AM
Dinah Stallworth-Lewis
Priority Real Estate LLC - 318.332.8281 - Natchitoches, LA
NATCHITOCHES, LA HOMES FOR SALE

Connie,

Great blog.  You make excellent points and I agree with #3.  I think virtual tours are the future of real estate. 

Nov 25, 2014 06:33 AM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

      The best way to do Open House is to post lots and lots of photos, and maybe a great video, online.  Then it is "Open" 24/7!

Nov 25, 2014 07:09 AM