Here's a repost of my Real Estate Chat (Team366's take on an open house) this past Sunday.  It was a liveblogged event and was a simple, but effective way, to generate more interest and exposure for this home and our Team.

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2:00 pm, Sunday, November 16th - Will Anyone Show Up?

It’s Sunday, November 16th and all the open house signs have been hung with care!

Welcome to the liveblog of an Ann Arbor Michigan Home open house.  Or, as we on Team366 like to call them, a Real Estate Chat.

The purpose of an open house has traditionally been to expose a listing to the area buyer community.  Ads are taken out, signs planted, maybe even postcards sent out, and the day of the open house, a small prayer is recited to lure interested parties through the door.  The era of the internet has changed the effectiveness of an open house.  Now, prospective buyers come through the front door with more information than ever before.  In many cases, the buyers know detailed facts about the neighborhood, community and in increasingly many cases, huge detail about the subject property specifically!

Team366 decided to shift how we approached open houses.  Given the level of detail many folks already have on hand, we decided to simply host a two hour window when anyone interested in the home, or the area could drop on by and chat with us about real estate.

Today, I am holding a real estate chat at the gorgeously well appointed 4951 St Andrews Ct, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.

2:23 pm - Did I Mention it Snowed?

I mean it was a darn near white out driving to the real estate chat today!  Middle of the day and the amount of snow flying around made it feel as though it was about 5:30 pm, or just before the sun goes down!

“Really Todd? Fascinating.  Who cares about the weather?  I’m here to learn about real estate, not your commute!”

Yeah, I hear that.  The point of bringing up the weather is that it can, and does, affect folks’ desire to go see properties.  Let’s face it, unless you NEED to purchase a home in winter time in Michigan, there are better things you would rather be doing.  Watching football (bite your tongue! The Lions don’t “play” football!), sitting in front of the fireplace, taking in a movie.

We have often found that many folks, whether or not they need to move, will go open house touring when the weather is at least sunny, warm and the home meets a few of their criteria.

“Then that begs the question, why force homeowners out of their homes for 2 hours on a Sunday, if it’s simple chance that interested lookers will even show up?”

For the sellers, it is another item to check off the list of things done to expose the home for sale.  For buyers, it’s an opportunity to see homes that just caught their attention.  For agents, it is an opportunity to meet prospective buyers and sellers.  It allows us an opportunity to show buyers and sellers how we do what we do.

2:35 - Guest Number 1 Arrives

First guest has arrived and found our real estate chat via the signs whilst dropping a son off at a friends home.  They are looking to “upsize” and with 3100 sqaure feet, and an additional 1500 square feet in the finished, daylight basement, this home has plenty to offer.

2:48 - Guest Number 1 Departs

I will say this about the Real Estate Industry, it certainly gives one the ability to talk to many different folks!  This guest is looking to up size their current home and enjoyed the amenities that 4951 St Andrews Ct, Ann Arbor, Michigan had to offer!

3:10 - More About The Home & A Phone Call

4951 St Andrews, Ann Arbor, Michigan has a lot to offer today’s buyer!  3,172 square feet, plus 1,500 sf in the finished, daylight basement, this home features four bedrooms, and four and a half baths.  Gorgeous clear maple cabinets compliment Granite cinnamon blue countertops.  Professionally landscaped yard opens up to the second tee/first green of Stonebridge Golf Course.  The generous eat-in kitchen, dining room and brick paver patio, combined with the finished basement with wet bar, make this executive home a great space for entertaining.

This post was delayed because I couldn’t type and hold the phone between my ear and shoulder…… I can only do three things at a time!

3:30 - The Internet & Real Estate

So, if it’s not painfully obvious by now, Team366 and I see tangible reasons to embrace the internet when it comes to marketing and talking about Ann Arbor Homes for sale.  As you have seen across an hour and a half of a modified open house (we call them Real Estate Chats) it can be hard to talk with folks about a home or real estate in general, if they don’t show up to see us in person.

Ahh, but there in lies the catch!  What about the folks that wanted to be here, that wanted to come to the real estate chat, but were unable to due to prior commitments or work schedules?  They may not be (most likely are not!) interested in my ramblings about real estate chat v open houses, and whether or not I got lunch today (did not).  But they will be interested in learning more about the property!  And that’s where the internet plays such a huge role in how Team366 markets properties for our clients.

Our listings feature the exclusive Listing Syndication System (LSS).  We make effective use of many different avenues of online marketing.  Narrated walkthrough videos and hi-res photos are simply the beginning!

When the average listing is able to generate 7 Google indexed backlinks and our LSS can generate, in some cases, nearly 5,000, is there a benefit to having that much exposure?

Yes.

Nearly 80% of our listings sell within their contract time frame.  When the board average is nearly 1 in 5; that is, nearly 20%, that’s a tangible benefit.  It’s one of the things that has set us apart and placed us in the top ten of real estate teams in the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors.

4:00 - Heading Out

Well, this real estate chat wasn’t as productive as I thought it would be.  I think the weather conspired against me…  I did enjoy, however, writing about the real estate chat process, what this beautiful home has to offer and communicating with friends via twitter.

The snow has continued, albeit in the flurry format and not the ridiculous white out mentioned earlier!  Be safe all and I will see you on the ‘net or, hopefully, in person!

Ta ta for now!

Buyers:  Search all Ann Arbor Area homes for sale. List updated every 15 minutes
Sellers:  Learn about Team366’s proprietary Listing Syndication System (LSS), the area’s BEST marketing system.

Todd Waller
Team366 | Real Estate One
734.564.7465
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