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I love Meeting the Neighbors at my Open House!

I love Meeting the Neighbors at my Open House!

Today at my Open House for my condo listing in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, it was a little slow.

Magnolia View Condo

The condo already had an accepeted offer on it (on the 8th day) and is STI, but since I had already put an ad in the Seattle Times for the Open House I wanted to follow through. A little different from last week when there were lots of interested buyers passing through, and neighbors interested in seeing the condo.

I love meeting the neighbors! It is a lot of fun hearing about the neighborhood and finding out what they think makes the neighborhood or condo complex a great place to live. The condo became for a short time a little condo "block party" with nieghbors mingling and chatting and potential buyers (including the buyer whose offer was accepted) coming and going. I had coffee brewing, my "Worlds Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" that I baked that morning, and brownies out for everyone to enjoy so it was quite a little mixer!

Last week one of the neighbors who was in the middle of remodeling asked me to stop by to see what they had done so far and get my opinion as a Real Estate Agent, on it. I love to give feedback on homes and improvements so after everyone had left, I went to her condo to see the bathrooms, and give my opinion on what helps to make for good resale since they will be looking for a larger place in a year or so. They asked if I could give them an idea of the market value of their condo since they were curious so I said I would work one up for them.

This week, at the very end of my Open House, someone stopped by that I wanted to talk to about marketing a condo that had been on the market until 6 weeks ago. The listing had been cancelled, I felt that the marketing for it on the MLS was poor, so I was trying to reach the owner to invite him to my Open House so he could see what I do to market a condo (or house). The condo was vacant and the tax records had no other address for the owner, so I looked him up a few other ways and sent three letters and materials to three different possible addresses.

Well, the person who stopped by was staying at the condo in exchange for work on the condo and he wanted to see what my clients condo looked like. We chatted and he invited me to come and see the condo, and what he was doing to it. The condo is a nice unit, and when he is done will look better, although I did give my opinion on the paint color and a few other things that would make the condo more marketable. The owner is planning on selling so I gave "tenant" some of my ideas as to why the condo languished on the market before and what kinds of things would help to sell it this time. The "tenant" had already told me that the owner had an agent to sell the condo, but as usual I always offer advice on marketing!

The "tenant" was impressed with my information and ideas so asked my for my card and to send him the letter packet I had mailed trying to reach the owner, he said that he would pass along the information. You know...I just love meeting the neighbors!

Posted by Deborah Burns ~ Seattle Real Estate Agent on 02/19/2007 03:39 AM

Comments (17)

open house, magnolia, seattle, condo, marketing, real estate agent, neighbors

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17 Comments on I love Meeting the Neighbors at my Open House!

FEB

2007

Back when Open Houses were successful, I used to always hold a house open in my farm - many of my clients living in the neighborhood would stop by to say Hello, so it was a "portable office". Even before that, on some blocks the neighbors would bring ME goodies to eat and drink! Now, most buyers shop online.

In Pittsburgh they call the neighbors "nebby", not nosey. I love when they come over.

Yep, neighbors always come to my open houses. It's been a great listing tools over the years not to say how much I learn from them about the neighborhood.

Who is the open house for???? It's for everyone. It is for the agent to meet other buyers and sellers, for the seller to expose their property and for the rest of us to see what they've done in there these past few years.

Nice view.

i think open houses are a great way for the neighborhood to meet each other. Sometimes, an introductory party after the closing (with the buyer's permission) may be another way to introduce yourself to the neighborhood.

You just never know who your buyer will be in an open house or from a phone call. People talk and the end result can be a profitable referral.

i found your take on open houses interesting....i agree with one of your previous responders...today many buyers surf the net....visual tours and property info without leaving the comfort of home

I always welcome neighbors, too. I tell them that no one knows what a great neighborhood this is better than them, so who better to preview the home and get the word out.

Meeting the neighbors certainly passes the time for a slower traffic open home. Not to mention could secure a future client :-)

Great post Deborah. I personally love open houses and get the majority of my business from them. Doing something different from all the other agents is what makes it work. You have to stand out, as it sounds like you do. Make it an event, not a sales office. It sounds like you have a great approach that works well. I can't speak for every market, but I don't believe the days of open houses are dead. I know many buyers start out looking online but VERY FEW buy site-unseen. They want to walk through and get the personal feel at some point. The web is just another tool but it does not replace the personal touch of open houses or viewing appointments.

Thanks Deborah for sharing your experience with neighbors. When I get a new listing, I usually have a "private open house" on Friday or Saturday just for neighbors. I invite them a few days prior by dropping flyers. They are usually excited and honored to be first to view the property!

Sharon - How cool that the neighbors brought goodies!

Chris Elizabeth - I love it, "nebby"!

Diane - Yes, it is a great way to learn about the neighborhood!

John - Good point, Open Houses are for everyone! Glad you liked the view!

Joan - Yes, a House Warming is a great idea, I never thought of including the neighbors too!

Michael - You're right, you never know what type of contact will lead to a buyer or seller!

Maurice - I agree, shopping on line is the way to look at houses for most people, in fact the buyer who has an offer on the condo was alerted about the condo being for sale by a friend who saw it online, they just came to the open house because the buyers agent was out of town, and the condo was close by.

Marisa - Yes, I always invite the neighbors because if they love the neighborhood, they may know someone who would love to live there!

John (Oswego) - I do like chatting with the neighbors, does pass the time and you never know if they may become a client!

Ryan - Thanks for the compliment! I think that Open Houses are great for some neighborhoods, and other neighborhoos not so great because they don't have a real neighborly feel.

Veronique - I like that idea of a private party! I just might do it sometime for the right property!

Thanks everyone for your comments, I really appreciate them! : )

Business creates business!! Great work, love to hear about it.

Back in the day we used to have a loan agent pre-approve people in the home before the refinance boom, it worked and generated a large number of deals. Maybe it would be a good idea to go back to that!!!! thank you for the idea!!!!

David - you're right! Thanks!

Christopher - You never know what will work for a particular seller/property, thanks and you're welcome!

The neighbors are most definitely very interesting and usually very entertaining. May be you will get a call from the owner. Sounds like you do a great job. Keep it up!

Thanks Christy, I have my fingers crossed!

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