Open houses can be a fantastic way to drive traffic and interest to your property. Most buyers these days tend to start their property search online—with or without the help of an agent. When your home is advertised as an open house, it makes it convenient for potential buyers and/or their agents to stop by. Some sellers worry that only nosy neighbors will come to look at their house, but an open house done right can really drive demand.
For example, if a buyer’s agent wants to schedule a showing for a Saturday, they can come during the open house. Others may see the open house advertised online and choose to stop by. Sure, one of those nosy neighbors might show up as well, but that’s okay. When several different types of buyers come to see your property at once, they also see each other. This tends to create a buzz around your property. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a strong motivator; it can drive buyers to make a faster decision and present a better offer.
Having an open house is also one of the best ways to compete with new construction. Model homes are open seven days a week and onsite sales offices often serve warm cookies, making it extremely convenient and even enjoyable for anyone to stop by. Hosting an open house allows us to offer potential buyers a similar level of convenience.
We understand that public open houses don’t allow us to properly qualify all visitors as buyers, and therefore some homeowners would prefer not to have them. If you have concerns about this, we can have more than one team member present to help keep an eye on everything.