One of the services that real estate professionals are obligated to perform are Open Houses. I have heard over the past ten years from numerous agents all the negatives; the only attendees are nosey neighbors, the buyer's are not ready to purchase, and how dangerous they are for the homeowner. I can attest to holding open houses and being introduced to all the neighbors. I have met numerous buyer's that are a year or two away from actually purchasing a home. And I can say that I have firsthand knowledge of checking after a crew came through the house and noticing that there were windows unlocked that were locked before the "crew" entered the home looking to supposedly purchase a half a million dollar home while driving a $200 pickup truck. So yes, there is validity to these statements. Open House homes in Kissimmee, Fl can be a lonely few hours. But, they happen every weekend.
How many sales have I gotten from an open house? One. That was the first one that I did twelve years ago. Zero since. Are they time consuming, you bet. Can they be a waste of time, they can. But what is the harm? The seller wants to be sure all avenues are used to market and sell their home. So what does it hurt? NOTHING. It's a part of the service that our industry performs. So suck it up and market the property. This year I am redirecting my efforts and I will gladly do Open Houses. As a matter of fact I just got the opportunity for a listing that was withdrawn because the agent was fired for not doing an open house.
As an REO agent, one of my banks expect open houses and a written report for all their listing. We purchase company logo Open House directional's in December, and Open House banner flags in January. Open the house, here I come!
...Great post!
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