SO … WHAT’S THE WORD ON OPEN HOUSES?  DO THEY WORK?

Well, there’s a LOT of opinions out there, and every agent has their own.  Some say just tire kickers come out looking for “freebies”, entertainment, decorating ideas, etc.  Some talk of the nefarious purposes as well, as in criminal intent.  In my 20 years in this business, this has never been our experience and, perhaps, we have just been lucky.  Although some of the above is true, I believe homes DO SELL as a result of open houses.  Here’s why!  First of all, have you noticed the traffic lately?  Need I say more?  Our GTA buyers and their agents are not that fond of trekking out here through the week to view 1 or maybe 2 homes after hours, in the dark.  But on a Saturday or Sunday, these agents can send their clients early in the day, with possibly half as much traffic, to check out these homes and, possibly, make the trek worthwhile later in the week.  This has been our experience.  Also, an OPEN HOUSE PRO, knows how to weed out the tire kickers, allowing them to do their “thing” while honing in on the buyer who actually may have come looking for their future home.  With or without their own agent, the Seller’s representative has so much more knowledge about this home than anyone else, which is why the buyers often come out to an OPEN HOUSE knowing they will possibly get some good info about the home, check out the neighbourhood, ask about schools and local amenities as well. 

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE OPEN HOUSES!  We get to talk about the community, the finer details of the home and neighbourhood and, often times, convince a buyer who isn’t sure where they want to buy to consider the Niagara Region as a great option.

And the naysayers will insist that Realtors do open houses for “self-promotion” only.  Sure, we like to get in front of people vs being only seen online.  We do want buyers and potential sellers to actually get to know us.  But, truly, on the plus side – OPEN HOUSES offer the highest level of exposure available, hosted by a qualified Realtor.  Once the client feels good about the property, a showing is often booked later that day with either our own agent or their agent.  Either way – a WIN/WIN!

Lynn Fee