Yes Yes I have heard it all before, that open houses are really for the real estate agents only to generate leads and to make the sellers happy that we are doing something to earn our commission, but overall, Open Houses produce more positive results than not. 

Last weekend I held an Open House for one of my listings on the bottom of Humboldt Hill in Eureka California (http://www.realestateshows.com/flyer.php?id=340674) and it was a very rainy day when I started out, not a good day to be doing an open house at all.  Well, I set up my usual fliers and cards on the counter and had my sign in sheet ready.  I also turned on all the lights inside the house and turned on the remote controlled fire place to give the house a warm and cozy ambiance.  

No one came by for about an hour, so during that time, I took the time to take more pictures of the house (interior and exterior..yes in the rain!) and I even brought my video camera, so I did a video tour of the home as well. During this whole time, I was very productive and because I also brought my laptop and external hard drive, I was able to work on my website SEO and Internet advertising.  I also made calls to some clients and returned emails.  

I had one couple who came by that day and they were very serious about the house.  They had been inside a house earlier in McKinleyville (a town that was about 20 minutes north of where I was) and although that house and the one we were in were both brand new, they felt that my listing was more qaulity built, more spacious, better neighborhood, etc.  I was very pleased and they stayed for about half an hour walking around the house and seeing each room twice or even three times. 

Then we stood around the living room chatting about other things and it turns out that the gentleman's brother had been one of my high school teachers and the wife who was around my parent's age, had similar experiences as my parents and my family of coming to America and experiencing hardships.  So overall, I made a good impression and connected with this couple who, on a wet and rainy Sunday afternoon, was out house hunting, looking at Open Houses and their next investment. 

I can say from this experience (and others) that doing an open house for your sellers is a very positive thing to do, both for your seller, for you as an agent, and for future prospects for the house and for your future buyers.  The couple is presently checking with their loan officer and plan on getting back to me later this week.