Believe it or not, I got a call from the Daily Journal, and surprisingly, they asked me to stop posting their stories to my blog. I try to post things about Greenwood, specifically, and I do subscribe to the Daily Journal, and think they do a great job giving us the news. So, I thought it was okay to use their "SHARE" button that they provide on all of their articles to post to my blog. I am always sure to give the credit back to the DJ and to the author. Apparently, they think I do it a little too much, and think they will lose subscribers to their newspaper and will just read my blog instead. Well, wouldn't I be so lucky! Ha ha, DJ, I don't think you have anything to worry about, but I will respect your request, and write my OWN content, even though I know you can do a much better job, and wish I could just share yours.
My take on Open Houses.....
I do Open Houses. I do them quite a bit. But, you may be surprised to hear that I don't do them because I think I'm going to sell the house that way. I do them because home sellers think of them as a customary, necessary avenue of selling a home, and they ASK me to do them, or I OFFER to do them when they are frustrated we haven't had bites on the house by other means.
Did you know that the reason agents have Open Houses is not because they think it will sell your house? They do them because they want to pick up BUYERS to work with. 9 out of 10 times YOUR house isn't the right house for the buyer, but the agent hopes to get their fish hooks in to those buyers, build a rapport, and sell them something else.
MOST often, unless your home is in an area that doesn't have much sales activity, and people are very curious about the neighborhood, and/or the house, an agent is VERY LUCKY to get two visitors to an Open House in a 4 hour time frame. Many times, no one stops by at all.
Getting your home ready for an Open House can be an overwhelming task, and I really hate to have to call a Seller at the end of a 3 or 4 hour Open House and tell them no one came.
My thought is if a buyer is TRULY interested in YOUR house, they will call the number on YOUR sign, or better yet, call the agent that they are already working with, to set up an appointment to see the house. Most people who just drop by an Open House aren't ready to buy yet.
As I sit here today, writing this blog, I am at an Open House. I advertised in today's Open House section of the Indianapolis Star, ordered a large Yard Sign for the front of the neighborhood which has been out there since Monday, I have directional signs throughout the neighborhood with balloons, sent 100 emails out to agents that work in the area, and/or have previously shown the home, and posted to Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. I've been here for three hours and had one visitor. The price of my listing is $138,000, and the buyer is only qualified for $100,000. She never would have called and made an appointment to see the house because she knew it was out of her budget, but because the house was OPEN, she stopped by. Sure, the buyer and I got along great, we sat down at the kitchen table, and she told me everything about her recent divorce, etc. I think I have another listing that might work for her that is cheaper. Great for me, huh? Didn't help my poor seller who slaved over getting her house ready for yet another Sunday for me to hold the house open, for me to sit at her table with my laptop.
The house isn't going to sell because I did an Open House. It's only going to sell if we lower the price again. Every house will sell for the right price. It's called current market value. Once you hit that magic number, it will sell. No advertising in the world is going to sell a house that is over-priced. Today's buyers are too smart for that. They have too much information at their fingertips, and know what they can get for their money. If you're overpriced, they know it, and go elsewhere. An Open House will never change that.
If your house isn't selling, save yourself time and frustration. Don't do an Open House......lower the darn price! It will save you money in the long run!
