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So, this past Sunday afternoon and I held an open house at my charming Fountain Square listing. I was pleasantly surprised with the turnout on that cold, wintry day- unhappy with the fact that it has started to flurry again; I'm definitely ready for spring! Had good traffic through the open house- approx 6 groups of potential buyers through the front door- 1 20-somethings couple relocating from Wisconsin to our beautiful city, 1 group of 4 adults, a Fountain Square neighbor and 1 family of 3, and another group or 2.
It always amazes me the different types of people that appear interested in certain homes. There are the young professionals, the retirees, the first-time homebuyers, the "right-sizers", those that are fervent about a neighborhood or area, historic home aficionados, and those that are "just looking". I definitely understand the "just looking" type of people- I've been "just looking" at homes since I was about 12 years old. I used to spend Sunday afternoons with my mom "just looking" at homes in my hometown of Goshen, IN. It was a great way to pass the time while Dad was at the golf course! I guess I was destined to get into real estate. I do find open houses a great way to get some candid feedback on a home. And today, the feedback has been relatively positive. The passers-through seem to like the colors, the hardwood floors and décor (which is good as all of these are relatively new), some noted that the fact there was not a garage was a turnoff- and I accept that. There were also comments about how large the home was, the "walk ability" of Fountain Square, and the proximity to Downtown.
I like open houses for the fact that they are a fairly non-evasive, leisurely way for potential buyers to come through a house. And I HAVE sold listings as a direct result of an open house; in fact I've sold 3 that way. As well as I've started working with new buyers as a result of an open house. Open houses are also a good way for buyers to "pre-screen" Realtors and find that certain agent that they just click with. As a licensed Realtor, I want to build and maintain and relationship with my clients, that is hard to do if there are no commonalities among the parties. Now, do I expect to become best friends with everyone of my clients- NO, but I do intend to maintain a good working relationship, and continue in a trusted advisor role throughout many years to come. So, if you are thinking about whether or not it is the time to buy, I'd encourage you to start going to open houses in neighborhoods that you are interested in, interview agents to find a good fit, and start talking with a mortgage lender to get preapproved- you never know when the house you walk into might be the ONE! And in case you haven't heard- it IS a good time to buy!
