Comments on: Massachusetts Public Open Houses Are a Waste of Time For Home Sellers

By: Bill Gassett

Bill Gassett — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:33:29 +0000

Thanks Carla! There are many Realtors I know that promote open houses as a great marketing activity. They can be a great marketing activity for the Realtor no doubt. Selling the home that is being held open is another story all together. We both know how rare that is!

By: Carla Muss-Jacobs

Carla Muss-Jacobs — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:13:06 +0000

Great post Bill. Truthful!! Open Houses are to pick up future business for the real estate agent. And my theory is: The house WILL SELL without the Open House. If selling the house through an open was the only way to sell the property — then by all means, do the open. But, they’re not the only way. Most properties are sold via the MLS, and in a lot of causes with a buyers’ agent working with buyers.

By: Bill Gassett

Bill Gassett — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:20:56 +0000

So Marty if you did not hold the open house do you think the buyers would not have scheduled an appointment to see it? Highly doubtful! I am not saying that a public open house does not make it convenient for a serious buyer to see a home but more often than not the foot traffic going through is of very poor quality for all the reason I mentioned in the article. One home a year is still not that good but much better than the national average!

By: Marty

Marty — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:32:16 +0000

Bill, I have sold at least one home a year from a public OH. And, I have sold my own listings and got both sides of the deal on 3 of them. Granted some homes don’t warrant an OH but I think it is a way to get the house “in the market”. It is up to the agent to promote the home so that people want to see it and OH is one tool.

By: Sue Crockett

Sue Crockett — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:10:09 +0000

I agree with everything you’ve said – both pro and con. I do them because in this market, I want to do everything possible to sell the home I’m marketing. It is a very small chance, but it’s a chance. Last Sunday I had 12 couples through a new listing. I had a call back from only one, but they liked the house and as soon as theirs sells…………………….!

By: Bill Gassett

Bill Gassett — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:21:05 +0000

Rich – Thanks for dropping in and commenting on my blog. I will not argue the fact that open houses can be convenient for buyers. It is always nice to know in advance a set time schedule for viewing a particular home.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:36:00 +0000

My wife and I first saw the South End condo where we will have lived for the past 5 years at an open house. Open houses were also an important tool for us as buyers to get a better understanding what was available in various downtown Boston neighborhoods.

When we sold our single family in Brookline, we also had 2 hot prospects that first came via open houses. Our ultimate buyer however came with a buyer’s agent.

From my prospective as a home buyer and seller, open houses are an important part of the home buying process.

By: Kathryn Acciari

Kathryn Acciari — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:35:19 +0000

Hi Bill,

The statistics are telling, you are right. Not many homes sell at open houses. But sometimes they do, and what I’m finding lately (in my market anyway) is that open houses will make fence-sitting buyers nervous. They may be waiting for the price to drop on a specific home, then they see the open house ad and worry that someone else may buy the home they want. Voila – an offer goes in the day prior to the open house.

As a listing agent, I’ve sold resale homes during open houses. (The party atmosphere suits my style I guess.) It’s a tool that we should have in our box of resources and use as needed. I agree with you, though, sellers should know the odds of a home selling during open house vs. buyer’s agent showings. Show the seller where the highest odds run. Nice post, as always.

By: Tom Nisbett

Tom Nisbett — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:47:13 +0000

Bill,
Great article regarding Open House for all the reasons previously mentioned. If local print media was to run this article it certainly would be helpful and not just considered one salespersons opinion.
Sellers will quite often request Open House because other salespeople feel the need to.
I find that if the salespeople toured the listings during office inspections they do call their buyer clients and arrange personal showings.
I also find that during an Open House most attendees are working with a Realtor and it is impossible to do a service to the seller client by having, in some cases, 15 – 20 people arriving at the same time and wandering through their house on their own. The one-on-one approach is the best system.
I must admit, it is a great tool for new Realtors building a client list as long as they remember to obtain permission to do follow up calls under the privacy Acts of this day.
Regards,
Tom

By: Bill Gassett

Bill Gassett — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:01:43 +0000

Sharon – I know there are plenty of folks that would love not to have to leave their home on a Sunday. Far to many home sellers are given the false promise that open houses are going to be a magic bullet for their home sale.

Denise – There is no question a Realtor may meet a few potential clients if they are lucky:)