Benefits Of An Open House

Benefits Of An Open House

The benefits of open houses have been debated in the real estate community for years now. While it’s true that most homes are sold by private showings, there are good reasons for holding open houses. Let’s face it, it’s inconvenient for a seller to pack up their family and head out for a few hours, but if you are serious about getting your home sold quickly and for the best price, they are very useful tools.

The first criticism of the open house is the lookie loo. These are people out for a Saturday afternoon drive and they see your sign or the neighbor who has always wondered how that new kitchen looks. Yes, those lookie loos come through open houses. So what? The point of an open house is to get people into your home. They might know others that are looking for a home, or sometimes they don’t realize they are ready to move until they see what they want. We want that special house to be yours.

So what about the argument that real buyers will arrange a showing with their own agent and that makes the open house unnecessary? But more often than not, those showings are on weekends. If you are holding an open house, those buyers and their agents will have the opportunity to meet your agent. No one will be able to showcase your home as well as your agent. The open house is a way for them to hear from your agent the uniqueness of your home and make sure they see every detail.

Finally, there are those buyers who do not want to talk with an agent. They would rather do the looking by themselves and when they find the right property, and then they will call an agent. These buyers will utilize the multiple websites which advertise open houses and head out to see them on their own. There are more of these buyers than you might think. Open houses allow them to get into your home and see it.

The more people that come through your listing the better your chance of selling, period! Open houses are one of the easiest ways to get local prospects into your home. They will see the manicured backyard and the remodeled kitchen. They will see the beautiful view off the master deck and the bonus room you added on to the front bedroom. They will fall in love with your home as they can never do by looking at pictures on the Internet. More importantly, you will have potential buyers through your home that might not even know they were looking. Regardless of how these buyers get into your home, the possibility of getting an offer after nice open house turnout is greater than not having one. So pack up the kids and take in an afternoon movie, maybe you’ll have a few offers to review when you get home.