The effectiveness of open houses has long been debated. Personally, I believe that an Agents Open House is an excellent tool for the home seller and their agent. Even if the agent doesn't have a buyer at the moment, the perfect owner could become their next client, and an elegantly staged home will stand out among the competition.
It seems to me that the Agents Caravan is one of the best ways to achieve the broadest (and cheapest!) coverage of your home. The agents have weekly meetings where they talk about their clients and houses. They suggest homes to each other based on client needs. How can they or why would they suggest a home they have never seen? I understand that an open house is a tremendous amount of work. They are however a great way for Stagers to shine and really bring a value added service to realtors. We offer an Open House service for realtors where we will go in before an open house and make sure the house is truly show ready. This is a huge time saver for agents, and they can put their efforts more into marketing.
I just read an article suggesting that the days of Open Houses have passed. With the availability of easily accessed pictures and video online, many agents and sellers don't belive it's effective to hold an open houses. However, buying a house is an emotional purchase for any buyer. Looking at pictures or video can never take the place of standing in the house and using all five senses to connect. I think the Open House may be the most powerful marketing tool available. By showing a beautifully staged home at an agents open house the seller is showing the home to hundreds of potential buyers.
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