Do Open Houses Really Help You Sell The House?

Well, I never thought they did and sometimes still think they don't sell. But twice in the last year I double ended the sale from clients at my open houses. It may be another 5 years till that happens again, but it was well worth it.

It depends on the house, but I have always found them to be extremely worth while.  You do have to understand that while houses DO sell from Open Houses, most times that does not mean that the Open House agent gets the sale.  That is why I think some agents say they are a waste of time.

One of my listings is in escrow today as a result of a showing at an Open House.  The buyer left the Open House and wrote the offer with an agent who was not at the Open House.

Often the statistics do not count that as "sold from Open House", when of course it sold from an Open House.  It just wasn't the sale of the Open House agent when it comes time for someone to get paid.

So there's my proof.  Inspection is Wednesday.  Sold from Open House.  Buyer's agent has never seen the house and will see it for the first time at the Home Inspection.  But from the seller's standpoint...sold from Open House.

The primatry benefit of an open house is that you get to meet people who are thinking about BUYING a house. Some of these do not have an agent. You have 2 min to convince them that you can save them a lot of time by helping them find a house.

Im not a R.E. broker but i cant imagine BUYING a house for myself without first visiting the open house. 

Think of it as trolling. You may not catch the fish you want, you may not catch any fish, or you may catch different fish (seller). Be prepared to do productive tasks if you don't get a lot of action. Your time will not be wasted.

I have 3 criteria for an open house, location, price and condition, I mean that is what sells it anyways, why not pick up a client in the process?

I love the nosey neighbor. It gives me a chance to meet them and sell them on my services without having to knock on their door. You now have one meeting with this person and stats show you need to be in front of this person 7 times prior to them remembering you. Then when you sell, you go back to their front door and drop off the just sold card and see if they are interested in selling. Learn to love the open house, it can be your best friend.