With the poker craze sweeping the nation, I came up with a new contest that we will be doing in January after the Greece incentive trip contest is over. Each time an associate holds open a home on the weekends, they will get to play in a hand of Texas hold em at the weekly sales meeting for marketing prizes. No betting or gambling involved, just being dealt a hand for each house they held open. Texas hold em open.....catchy don't you think?
Speaking of open houses. Realtors and home owners are equally mixed on the effectiveness of these ancient, or tried and true depending on your slant, marketing methods. Some love them, some hate them. In their day, when exposure of a home consisted of a mls book that came out some time after the home was listed, and there was no immediate internet or online mls and ads were often just in the local Sunday paper, an open house was a very powerful marketing tool without much effort being needed by the seller or Realtor. Now the most successful open houses are held by those Realtors and sellers who work together to present the best possible product to the most customers possible.
To increase the chances of an open house being well attended, the Realtor should be mailing out invitations to nearby apartment complexes, they will be notifying local mortgage brokers and lenders inviting them to stop by and asking them to mention the open house to any customers they may be working with who have not found a home yet. The same invitation should also be given to the local real estate agents in the area of the home being held open. Some of the really industrious Realtors will go door to door inviting the neighbors. Ads should run in all the local papers, directional signs, if allowed, should be set up to direct cars from several directions. All these methods will increase the number of visitors that will attend and increase the possibility of attracting a buyer or someone who will recommend a buyer for the home they are holding open.
Sellers can help as well. Make sure the yard is cared for, dishes and laundry put away, beds made. It is also really important to leave your home for the duration of the open house. Give your Realtor the space to do their thing. An open house should offer a comfortable atmosphere for the serious buyers who attend, to take in on the homes features and amenities. The average potential buyer will not, I repeat, will not feel comfortable opening a seller's bedroom closet while the seller is standing their. They will not be at ease to talk financing with the Realtor or onsite mortgage lender. You hired your Realtor trusting in their abilities to sell, let them sell. Give them some space to do their job and you will see the results.
Open houses can be successful in bringing buyers to your home if staged properly or they can be a waste of 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday. The proper staging will help increase the chances for your next open house being a success.
Related Florida real estate views:
Greece and stuff
Watson Realty Associates enjoy cruise
Watson Realty announces contest
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
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