If you’re thinking of selling your home soon, “showings” is an important part of the logistical discussion. So is exposure; viruses and COVID variants have become a point of concern since 2020. So… let’s talk about open houses.
First, open houses have been a staple of Realtor marketing plans for decades.
Why? Because they bring a lot of people into the house at one time. Also, not that this helps the seller in any way, but open houses give the hosting agent a chance to meet up with more real estate customers. Even if those “lookers” are in the infancy stages of their home buying journey, just getting their feet wet, the open house is as much a prospecting tool for the hosting agent as it is a marketing tool for the house for sale. So, Realtors like them.
Now, that’s not to say that there isn't a potential open house benefit to the home seller. When you’ve got a well-attended open house happening, and Carol and Mary see that Jessica and Greg are also getting super excited about the house, then that synergy can result in great offers. But open house activity has slowed down markedly from its heyday, and ‘bidding wars’ are far less common. Still - in just about every market in MetroWest, any home that is priced right and shows well will sell. So… you certainly don’t need to have an open house.
Second, let’s look at who visits open houses.
You’ll have those afore-mentioned “lookers”, infants in the life of their home buying journey, and they may not be anywhere near qualified to buy your home. Your neighbors will certainly be curious. In crummy weather weeks, folk with cabin fever are looking for weekend entertainment - or are looking for ideas for their own home improvement projects. Some homeowners go to open houses when they are thinking about putting their own house on the market, to get a handle on their own home’s value and marketability.
So… what’s your goal when selling your house? Do you want to just show your house to as many random people as humanly possible? Or do you want to show your house to motivated, qualified, ready buyers?
Know that you can have results WITHOUT an open house.
If you’re thinking of selling your home this year, let’s talk about a strategy that is both successful AND SMART, producing incredible results while honoring your privacy, time and safety.
Reach out to me at:
charlenefrary@gmail.com
508-330-3252
fraryhomes.com