Sally,  Yup!  You got it!  I have a seller that I've become friends with and when I stopped by last Saturday, she just broke down and cried a couple of times.  We didn't speak for a few days afterwards until this morning when she called in response to my asking them to reduce the price.  She was apologetic, but I told her that I felt so bad for her and just wanted to do something to help make her feel better.  Yup, connections and relationships.  That's what we do.

That is the first thing that I always do is instruct my sellers to not let anyone in the house. There are brochures or my number if they are serious they will call.

Sally,

Very good post!  I hope the home sells quickly.  Open houses are difficult, sometime noone shows up!

Nice job, Sally.  Once again, proof that our jobs are more about people and our ability to connect with them than rookies realize.  It's not all flyers and contracts!

Marc: Exactly! Not everyone believes this and just thinks it's roll em in and roll em out kind of deal. Never has been nor ever will be that way for me and people like you :)

Heather: Exactly! I have a brochure box outside. I went by yesterday to check it out....7 are missing :)

Mary: Ours are usually busy....except when there's a big event going on.

Any good relationship requires attention and communication. Keep up the great work.

Any good relationship requires attention and communication. Keep up the great work.

Thanks Patrick!

Slow Open Houses - I think we are all learning how to make the most of them. It was great that you and your client were able to spend the time getting to know each other better. That's what I love about this business; gaining new friends as we do what we do best.

Sally, I never doubted for a second that you "know your stuff."  It is wonderful to spend some quiet time with clients so they know us better and are comfortable.  I'm sure every one of your clients trust you very much!

Most of the open houses I have done have been slow also.  Good time to get caught up.

EXCELLENT! Check, check, check, check on all the prep work for an open house. And I've had the same experience, with the seller face time. Although, depending on personalities, it is easier to sit and chat with some people than with others. Thankfully, most of my clients are friends, family or referrals, which means we're more comfortable sitting and chatting. From reading your posts for a while now, it sounds like you probably have a lot of the same types of clients =)  But you have an added gift. You seem to be genuinely nice, and interested in just about everybody. I imagine you can probably have comfortable conversations with all your clients =)

Michael: Yeah...slower than the norm but I did one for Randy a few weeks ago and didn't even get to sit down with over 20 groups walk through! And just think...you came back to AR and getting to know me too :)  One day you, me and Randy should go to lunch :)

Carole: Yup...and the thing is...up front and personal...and face to face surely tells a lot about a person.

Denise: Good luck in catching up!

Lisa:  And there's a difference between genuinely interested and nosey :)  (had to throw that in lol) In any case, if I know you too...then I would see the same being the spider on the wall watching you with your interactions with others. Thanks Lisa.

Sally if I was a Loan Officer in Hawaii you would have got a visit from me, along with one of my survival packages (water, energy bar, bag of pretzels, and Small candy bar).  I stop by at least five or six Open House every Sunday.

Sally, nice blog....the open houses in my area are slooooowwwww alot. It sound like you may good use of your time by solidifying your relationship. All was not lost.

Dave

George: Okay...next one is June 1 :)  Come on down!

Dave: Nope...and watch...we'll get more the next one around!

Sally - you would always make the best of any situation - good for you -

Hi Sally,

Many times clients turn into friends during the process of selling their homes, great job Sal! :)

Hi, I have been by a few times and haven't left you my sweet note as yet. Well, the first time I read this, I was laughing out load with what you found in that other home's MBR. Then I was laughing thinking maybe it had nothing whatever to do with Halloween. So I left trying to straighten up my act and then when I can back, got stuck again in that remembering something I had seen once that was far worse but along the same lines ,started to laugh again and figured I just had to get serious and finally read the whole thing.

So I did. Your're excellent but we already knew that. Nosey people can become our biggest advocates. I know this from experience. I suspect she will fast become one of yours. ( biggest advocates that is)

Sally- What a great post! I really think you descibed and ideal situation. You got to know your client better and your client got to see first had that she had hired a pro. I know you will sell the house and get more referral business!

Best,

Scott

Thanks Suzanne! I love this work :)

William: Just for that I went and underlined that part.....leave it to you to really read my post and find that! Wait...okay, I had to check to see if anyone else commented. You see William...not all read everything ...or they would have had the same chuckle you did...and that I did writing it hahahaha!

Hey Scott: I hope so too...and thanks for your vote of confidence!

Thesa: Oops...almost missed ya! How are you! I see you're very busy ...you go!

Sally, you are so right and did a great job...again:).  Unfortunately, open houses here are not well attended at all so we are lucky to have three groups come through. 

Sally - great post about open houses and connecting with your client. I always take my laptop with me in case it is slow. Also what a great opportunity to connect with your client - I am sure your client appreciated your time.

Diane: I know it depends on the area...just as the market does. :)

Sharon: We're all about that right?

Hi Sally,

I am responding to one of the comments you received but also to many comments about this subject on other posts that I have read that I feel are wrongly based. I would like to be heard once again as a skilled professional to debunk some poorly thought out response to a professional effort to properly market a property. This should give you at least another one or two new articles to write.

I have always been an advocate of ( and I limit this to me), Open Houses and when done well ( properly exposed, marketed and prepared for the ensuing guests that will see it) introduces the property to the buying and selling community and can be very useful and beneficial. For as many years I have been in the business, there are those that say Open Houses don't work. What exactly  does " don't work" mean? In my agreement to market the property for the seller, I take it to mean that whatever we have agreed to do, I should do. That includes any and all things to professionally market that property. If that means passing out flyers to neighbors and or business , so be it. What works is the agent, not just an internet or print ad, not just an open house , not just a stack of flyers in a box on the sign. If the Buyer came from a print ad or an internet ad, then all the other things that were done, could also be said to "not have worked".

The point is we agreed to market the property in any and all ways that might lead to a possible buyer and discounting one or another of possible ways one can do that is making a judgment that because one thing or another didn't work in the past or on another specific property, it has no usefulness. I totally disagree. What is and has always been a part of my efforts is that I don't limit but expand the possibilities for marketing and the harder I work at it, the luckier I become with results.

So many have the wrong idea of what marketing is, what it can do and what the possibilities are. And we are dealing with possibilities here. The greater the effort , the more likely we will have a successful result. I have always stated that 90% of any good marketing plan is getting the price right for the property. The other 10 % includes, staging, advertising, Open Houses, proper counsel to prepare for contingencies and the work ethic that increases the odds by exposing the property in all possible professional ways . That includes showing off the property and the pride of ownership, how the property is currently used and what the possibilities are for other ways of utilizing it. We can do that hands on, as in the Open House.

My clients work very hard as I do to do detailed and careful preparation and when it is ready, I am proud to represent it and "show it Off". What my clients get in return for their hard efforts and correct pricing are results. To show that to the community is leading by example. And I get the honor of being the spokesperson for their hard efforts.

If that is not the scenario a professional is dealing with, they are not getting the sellers and the property to its best and natural optimization. As much as many may not like this answer, perhaps they are not the best agent for the sellers or the property. If the situation and personalities are NOT working together, there is a wrong match for the agent seller and property.

But, if the agent, seller and property are working in sync as a team effort, the results are amazing. There , I am done preaching now. Thanks for allowing to me to comment further. I should have written this as a post instead of a comment,lol.

Our business is all about relationships.  It also is good for the seller or buyer to observe first hand all of the work and professionalism you bring to the process.  Have a great weekend.

Sally, the system is sending duplicates and quadruplicates of comments right now. We had the problem once before. I got credit twice and had to delete.

Hi Sally,

I will limit my reply to a comment rather then a post. Meaningful time spent with a client is always an advantage. Both to the client and ourselves. Building trust and confidence is what our business is all about. Yes, listing and selling pays the bills, but the reputation we build it worth its weigh in gold.

William: I have long since 'debated' about Open Houses. For one it depends on the market...for another ... I agree with everything you said here. Why discount another's choice to do an Open House when we're thinking in the best interests of the seller?

Joan: You must have been commenting while they were working on everything or they just got it back up... lol! You're right...we are all about relationships.

William: I'll delete duplicates as soon as I'm done commenting...that's okay...I really read em then haha.

Hal: It sure is Hal...and giving them the attention and showing effort will surely give us the reputation that our business requires.

Great Celeste,

I think time spent with the seller is time well spent.  It will surely lead to more referrals in the long run because they are able to tell you love what you are doing.

Sally, Thank you very much for writing this post, I was able to get some beneficial ideas! Actually, I have enjoyed reading all of your blogs! Thanks for helping a newbie.

Sally...you're right...what a good opportunity to deepen the relationship with your seller...there are sooo many benefits.  The become;

• more understanding of what you do and how you spend yoru time
• they will give you the benefit of the doubt should something come up
• they'll have more patience...since they trust you more
• you'll get more referrlas

It's a win,win,win,win...

Latonia: Yup...most important...I like I how I feel at the end of the day...remembering the look on the clients face...no stress :)

Richard: Oh, you're welcome! Thanks for the compliment!

Jeff: What a great add on! Thanks for the input and your positive notes!

I think the unseasonal hot weather and the volcano vog from the big island kept people from coming out also.

Two comments for you on this one Sally. I have had that nosiness extended to me by another Realtor while I was sitting an open house because his Open House down the street was so slow he stopped by mine to see if mine was as slow. I said no. The secret was balloons on the sign, and my magical self in the house of course : ) The other point you made that was right on the money is it is all about connection. You never know what setting a connection can be made. We have conflicts on Sundays with Dallas Cowboys games. Then you have ZERO people stopping by. Need to put a rider out front say come on in to watch the game on big screen TV : )

Gary: Now that you mention that....I went to an Open House with my buyers....the agent asked "can you watch my open while I run two houses down to look at another OH?" and before I could respond...ran out of the house. My buyers came out from another room and asked, 'where's the agent?"  uh, .....   and then people started coming in and I told them to pick up a flyer the agent will be right back.... I couldn't believe it!

What a great use of your time - and 'getting to know' each other...going over your contracts and getting her organized......wow.....I  probably just would have  just had a gabfest!  :-)

Sally- Business is all about connections. That is the way of today and the future. Sale people who think it is about the sale will always struggle for they are on a misguided path.

Sally - a great list of things to get accomplished on a slow open house day!