To Open House, Or Not To Open House, That's The Question.

During my marketing presentation to an Owner, I of course talk about things that I do that may be different from what a lot of other agents do. One of those items that I like to do for every Seller are multiple open houses. I can't tell you how many times that Owner or Owners comment that they are unsure of whether or not they would like those pesky open houses. After all, the Owner does have to leave their home for two hours on a Saturday or Sunday.

I always like to ask why?

Here are my favorite three objections to an open houseand how I like to respond:

1.) Owner - "We don't want our nosy neighbors in our home."

Why Not? Just because they are neighbors, that doesn't mean that we cannot enlist them to help sell this home. We certainly know that they are not going to buy the home (Well, most likely). However, all the neighbors have a circle of friendship that extends far beyond what we have. What if they have a friend that is looking that may be interested? That nosy neighbor could be the one to actually procure the buyer from our open house.

2.) Owner - "No serious buyers come to open houses anyhow."

Although it is true that many open house lookers are just passer by-ers, some of the people that will come are actually responding to an ad that was placed. Or they saw a sign for the open house and it's in the neighborhood that they have been keeping their eye on. It's impossible to state unequivocally that all open house guests are just there because they have nothing better to do.

3.) Owner - "We don't want people in our home that we don't know."

MY FAVORITE! Almost everyone that goes through their home with another agent at a regularly scheduled showing will be someone that the owners don't know. Why not allow us to get all the people we possibly can into the home at once? It's not very often that the eventual buyer of the home is a close friend, or even an acquaintance. Strangers are good when it comes to the open house.

Sometimes Sellers don't think of what it takes to sell a home. After all, it only takes one Buyer to buy the home. The trick in this market is getting that one Buyer into the home in the first place. In my opinion, it's always a good idea to get as many people through the home as possible. As I alluded to before, the more people that come into the home, the more the word of mouth starts to spread. That eventual Buyer may not even know they are going to be a buyer until they walk into the home.