Do Open Houses really work to sell my home?

Thanks for the Email Jack,

There are a couple of different schools about Open Houses

A) While the additional exposure can not hurt the marketing of a home. A large percentage of the time the Open Houses benefit the Realtor® holding the home open to the public.

The agent has a chance to interact with the people coming through the doors and if this is not the right home than maybe they can help them find another one that would be a better fit.

B) Open houses are a great for the exposure of the home in any kind of market.

So you have agents that are looking for the opportunity top “pick up buyers” and agents who believe in exposing the home to as many individuals as possible hoping to generate interest in your home.

In my experience a buyer walks into an open house blind maybe less than 5% of the time. I believe open houses are a win win for the homeowner and the agent as it helps expose the property to a market (people that love to go to open houses) and to neighbors that may have friends or family wanting to move into the area.

It really comes down to the homeowner and how they feel about open houses. I have had clients prefer not to open their homes up to the public. Trouble of getting the home in “showing condition” worry about personal property etc.. I think it is a marketing tool that has to be discussed before you list the home so that everyone’s expectations are set before the home gets to market.

So to recap – Yest it can be helpful to have open houses, especially at the beginning of a listing, but it depends on homeowners feelings about preparing and opening their home to the public.

Have the discussion up front with your Realtor® They will know the locale market and how important/unimportant it may be from a locale market perspective.

Good luck with the sale of your home Jack.

Bob Kenney, Realtor®

Reilly Realtors

Mobile/text: 512-922-4922