The question really is - Do Open Houses sell the home?
I'll be honest. I've done a lot of open houses over the years and I consider myself fairly adept at assessing the level of interest and seriousness of a visitor to an open house. I've found many of my future clients at open houses, but I've only sold one house via an open house visitor.
BTW - I sold my very first listing...to the very first visitor...of my very first open house. Talk about Beginner's Luck!!
So do they work? Rarely. It's really a tool for an agent to secure new business. But if you want to cover all your bases and your agent is open to hosting one, these are the 5 things you must do to make the open house a potential success:
- Plan Ahead: At least 5 days to one week.
- Advertise Online: The new buyers that haven't seen all the inventory will start their search online. Make sure you are advertised on the frequented sites like Realtor.com, Trulia, Zillow, Craigslist, your own website for your home, to name a few.
- Plan to be gone. Don't be there for any part of the open house.
- Leave the property in perfect showing condition.
- Notice the events for the day. Minimize potential conflicts. Are there any key sporting events? Horrendous weather?
Note: You also must have hired an agent that is an expert at working with people in a way that inspires confidence and trust. Someone that is too busy watching TV or that is too overbearing will fail to get the results you are looking for.
And don't forget, a perfect home that meets the perfect buyer, still won't sell if it's not the perfect price!
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