Is Having an Open House Worth it?

Even if the open house is not the most effective way to sell a home there are other reasons to hold them. You can't always count on agents to sell your listing. Sometimes agents don’t know their clients well and don't show them a listing that might work for them. In addition as all agents know, clients change their minds and don’t always tell us. A certain number of buyers find the home they ultimately buy on their own and often at an open house. Finally buyers sometimes will not make an appointment to see a house if the listing information is not exactly what they are looking for. This same buyer will stop at an open house because there is no commitment and may be surprised to find they like the house much more than they did when they were reading the listing.

Some sellers wonder if the Open House is worth the work and inconvenience. Some even complain that agents only do open houses to pick up clients, not to sell their home. Others worry about having items being taken from their homes. Other sellers expect their Realtor to hold open houses, so agents, regardless of their personal feelings about sitting on homes, will do what makes their client happy. “My seller thinks they're important, so I do them” is what many Realtors feel and say when it comes to open houses. But then there are sellers who wonder why they should open their homes to the public if most people coming through are not serious buyers. Preparing for an open house is a great deal of work because the house should be “perfect” and then you have to be away for most of a day, not to mention wear and tear on the house and the risk of theft. "You get Lookie Lou's trying to pick up some decorating hints and curious neighbors who always wanted to know how your house looks on the inside," said Eric Tyson and Ray Brown in their book House Selling for Dummies (Hungry Minds, Inc., 1999). One client who declined using the open house as a marketing tool said. “I don’t want to lose control of who is actually coming into my home.” Clearly not having open houses is easier for the seller and agent.

Tomorrow I will write about what other Realtors and agents are saying about holding open houses and then on Thursday I will share the research I have found regarding the use and effectiveness of open houses and some final comments from me.