Public Open Houses - Are They Necessary?

As I spend another gorgeous summer afternoon sitting at a public open house waiting for buyers to tour my listing, I ask myself, “Is it worth it?” To be honest, I can think of many other ways to spend a sunny, cloudless Sunday afternoon in July that could be more fun than sitting in a home, waiting for potential buyers to materialize. Statistics show that very few homes sell to buyers who saw the home during a public open house. So, why do we do them? Why do realtors spend 3 hours of their time on Sunday afternoons hosting them? And why do we ask our homeowners to allow us to do them? Do they only attract nosy neighbors and other people who are not serious about purchasing a home?

Public Open Houses benefit both the seller and the realtor. The seller receives increased exposure for their property and the realtor receives leads on potential buyers (and sellers).

For the seller, you get advertising in local news papers and on the internet. Signs are placed around town directing people to your property. In this competitive market, providing convenient access for buyers to your home is critical. Furthermore, even though the odds are low that someone will come to your open house and make an offer, it does happen occasionally. It is like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it! So, despite the inconvenience of readying your home to shine and then having to go somewhere for three or four hours on a Sunday afternoon (and taking your pets with you!), I recommend that my clients allow me to host a public open house.

There are benefits to the realtor beyond selling your home. It is a great way for us to meet people who are looking to buy a home. Many people like to begin looking at homes during open houses because they don’t want to fell pressured or they are not quite ready to sign on with a realtor and look in earnest. Consequently, many of these “looky-lou’s” are not yet committed to an agent, making them attractive prospects for the agent hosting the open house.

So, when your real estate agent asks you if they can schedule a public open house at your home, say yes! You never know, you may sell your house to someone who wanders in on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.