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Yet Another Reason to Hold that Open House #3 (of 4):

Earlier this week, I started this little series on Why You Should Do at least One Open House (on your own listings) even if you think they're a "waste of time."

Why? Because...

It will make your seller happy

You'll gather feedback from the public

And... today's topic:

You'll Become More Familiar with Your Listing

How much do you really know about your listing? Chances are that you took a little tour with your seller on the day of your listing presentation and probably another one when you took your photos and measured the rooms. But you've probably never spent much quality time in the home by yourself, just absorbing the features or even the challenges the property offers.

When I do an open house, I tend to check everything out - admittedly, often out of boredom. Yeah, I open doors & drawers, wander in and out of bathrooms, flip switches to see what they do. And in the process, I discover things I hadn't noticed before, especially if I've always been accompanied by my seller on previous visits.

Okay, so this probably isn't a gi-normous deal, but I do find that by spending some quality time in my listing without the distraction of rapport-building or just chattering with my seller, I'm a better listing agent.

One more reason to open house... tomorrow!

sws www.sellwithsoul.com

Posted by Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, Author of Sell with Soul on 04/17/2008 07:31 AM

Comments (24)

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Originally posted at: Selling Soulfully with Jennifer Allan: Yet Another Reason to Hold that Open House #3 (of 4):

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24 Comments on Yet Another Reason to Hold that Open House #3 (of 4):

APR

2008

Jennifer, Good reasons to do an open house. It is a good way to get people to look at the house and I offer it as a convenience to other agentswho can send their buyers to the open house.

Jennifer-

Open houses do work if properties are well priced and staged. I have had some open house "duds" and wasted time and money

Jennifer, this is so true! The more you know about your listing will make you a better listing agent. I'm sure everyone has been in one of their listings after it's been on the market a while, whether during a showing or an open house, and said to themselves, hmm, I never noticed that before.

Mike - exactly! Just being in the house opens my mind to new ideas on marketing it.

Lori - sometimes they're good, sometimes not, but never a true waste! IMO

Gita - great idea!!! I hadn't 'thought of that!

I totally agree with your comments on open houses. I don't think 4 hours for one listing is too much to ask.

I'm holding one this Sat. for another agent and I went to the home yesterday and meet with the owner to have him show me everything about his home and explained what I will do at his open house. I took my own photographs of his home and will be placing them on my web site, I left him a "Things to Do" note pad with my business card and ensured him that I will try my best this weekend to sell his home. It was very apparent that he appreciated someone taking interest in his home and trying to help him. When I gave him the .50 pad I asked him to keep it handy so if he thought of something that he forgot to tell me about he could write it down as a reminder. You would of thought I gave him $100.00 bill!

"Some times it's the little things we do that makes the difference in how we are perceived"

Thanks for your articles, keep it up...

This is a very important factor Jennifer. When we become intimate with the home we're selling we prepare ourself for most any objections that can arise and we're much more comfortable because we can talk intelligently about the home.

I really like Ron's approach, above; that's service of which to be proud.

You are so right about becoming familiar with a property...unless I am really paying close attention, it takes me 2-3 visits to really notice the finer details of a house. Good advice!

You do things like open a closet to find out it is cedar lined or that they have under cabinet lighting - It's time to rewrite the remarks comments!

Jennifer: This is a great series and posts on the open house

I, too do open houses often and while I understand that the odds of selling that specific home is slim and I explain this point to the seller's; I agree that it's a great way to pick up potential buyer's and seller's.

I actually average 4 open house sales per year over my 10 year career.

Keep up the great posts and work.

Hi Jennifer,

Good points! Open houses do work. Maybe we don't get a flock of lQQkers every time, but those we do get are potential buyers for the house that is open or for another one in inventory. I use lul time to catch up on my paperwork. No phones, agent interruptions, etc.

Hal

Thanks so much for all the comments. It's funny - of my four reasons to hold an open house, this one seems to be the least compelling, but has generated the most positive responses! Cool!!!!

There is nothing more embarassing than finding something out about your listing in front of a client. Open houses are a great time to explore. What does this switch go to, does the disposal work, a remote for the fans, cool!

Funny you mention ceiling fans! On my last open house I discovered that the ceiling fan was thermostatically controlled! How cool is that?

Jennifer, open houses definitely make your sellers happy. And like you said, it helps you become more aware of the house and you're not fumbling around when you bring buyers. You know how everything works.

APR

2008

Jennifer, I agree with your points on doing open houses. Most of the agents around here dislike them greatly, but I find that it really does help my relationship with my sellers and it does get you familiar with the house. Great post!

And my I add something? While I'm sitting waiting for the noisy neighbors to show up I read, listen to the radio and make phone calls. I actually find the time productive for many reasons. Last week while sitting an open house I may have gotten another listing.

APR

2008

Thanks for the comments and ideas. I agree, I have had times when I did open houses and either found or remembered USP"s (Unique Selling Points) that I missed or forgot from earlier visits.

Another great thing about open houses is the people connection. Weather on the street while setting up, neighbors stopping in, tire kickers, or live prospects, the time with people is good. If we concentrate on people and not on all the peripheral stuff very often the sales will be there.

I promised to post the 4th reason to hold open houses yesterday, but oops... didn't get to it yet. Stay tuned!!!

This is true. I do the same thing. I start pacing and poking around everywhere. Sometimes I even take more photos. Actually, I frequently end up video taping the place, since I can shove nicknacks out of the way without offending the sellers. I just put everything back before I leave.

AUG

That addresses several of my concerns atcually.

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Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, Author of Sell with Soul

Pensacola Beach, FL

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