Occasionally I run into home owners who believe that houses are sold at open houses and without an open they won’t sell. I once had a client demand that his home be held open every Sunday in June because he believed that was the only way to sell it.
In today’s sellers market it is possible to sell a home in a day without a for sale sign or an open house. The number one tool for selling houses these days is excellent photography posted in all the right places on the internet. It is like having a world wide open house seven days a week 24 hours a day.
Everyone including me has a story about a home that sold at an open house or it sold to someone who went through the open house. Often the buyers who bought it were already looking for a home to buy and they would have made an appointment for a private showing and would have purchased the house even if there wasn’t an open house.
Open houses can create dual agency as the agent who is holding the open writes an offer for a buyer. Home buyers who are interested in buying a home they toured during an open house should contact their own agent if they wish to write an offer.
The main reason for an open house are for the agent holding the open to sign up “leads” and occasionally the buyers come through the open house. The main reason for not having an open house is not wanting a bunch of noisy neighbors and strangers who may not be qualified to buy going through your home because they like to go to open houses.
Currently there are more home buyers than there are homes on the market. The sellers goal should be getting the best terms and having a successful closing and no litigation due to problems with the house or with the sale.
