If It’s Sunday,There Are Going To Be Open House Signs ALL OVER MY NEIGHBORHOOD!

My second Open House in my career as a Realtor was here in the neighborhood of Stratfield, where I live.  It was before I had any listings of my own and I was helping the listing agent.  The day before the Open House, I visited the home and found that the grass was up to my knees.  Yikes, I thought to myself.  This won’t exactly bring in the potential buyers, so I drove home and got my lawn mower.   I also printed out some fliers inviting people to the Open House the next day and I knocked on doors up and down the street.   When I knocked on the door across the street from the place whose lawn I  cut, a woman came to the door and very politely said, before I could invite her to my Open House, ‘I’ve already got someone to cut my lawn.’

If it’s Sunday, you’re probably going to see Open House signs all over the neighborhood.   If you’re thinking of buying, I strongly suggest you bang out a few of these every weekend.  They’re necessary if you wish to buy in an educated manner.  They may seem tedius and you may meet some odd characters along the way, but it’s worth it.  As I say to everybody that gets a chance to hear it, the purpose of buyers going to Open Houses is three fold:

1. Develop a list of MUST HAVES as you look.  These are things you need to have in a home for you to give it serious consideration.

2. Get a list of NICE TO HAVES.  This is a list of things that you’re like to have but don’t need.

3.  Get to the point where, when you walk into a home, you know whether it’s priced to sell or if the price is still high for the market.

Maybe you’re thinking of selling.  If you’re even thinking of selling, you should visit Open Houses.  You need to know what your competition is.  You need to track the homes that are selling, the homes that are not selling and you need to know the ‘why’ behind it all.  You also need people in the Real Estate field that you can develop relationships with.  When you meet ‘us’ at Open Houses, you have a chance to interview us.  You get to test our market knowledge and , maybe most importantly, you get to find out if you’re comfortable sitting in the same room with us.

So if you’re not in either of these categories it still isn’t a bad thing to visit an Open House from time to time.  Especially places in your neighborhood.  You should know what’s selling in your neighborhood and what’s not selling.  It may have an impact on when you sell your home.  Neighbors come to my Open Houses all the time.  I don’t necessarily think they’re nosey.  Sometimes, people come by to get ideas for decorating.  The bottom line is this.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a Realtor that’s not happy to see you.

A few questions come up when I”ve held Open Houses that may cross your mind as you read this or see a sign in the neighborhood today. I’d like to cover them.

1. Do people REALLY sell homes by having Open Houses?

I consider Open Houses another iron on the fire, so to speak. Some say that Open Houses are just for the Realtor to develop their name.   That’s true. We meet potential buyers and sellers and we develop our businesses, but we also sell homes this way. How do I know? I’ve done it. And, before I got into this business, our home was sold from someone who came in through an Open House.

2. When I sign in, you’re just trying to get my information to haunt me, aren’t you?

When people admit to me that they’re afraid they’re going to be hunted down, chased down the aisle of the produce section of Stop and Shop, I remind them that I live in the same neighborhood and wish for the same peaceful shopping experience that they do.  I’ve seen the look; that wrinkled brow from people that know I’m a Realtor as they take a sudden and intense interest in that box of cereal or steak.   It’s ok.  I have a life, too.   If you ever have any questions or wish to chat, though, I’m here for you.

So if you’re driving around today and see an Open House sign, drop in! I sincerely believe that everybody that owns or is THINKING about owning a home or buying or selling should have someone in my business that they can call or email if they ever have any questions. If you don’t have somoene you can do this with, maybe you’ll meet someone today.

By the way, the Open House I started this post with?  I didn’t have a single visitor.  The good news is, the lawn looked great, the home eventually sold, and I’ve stayed in touch with the woman across the street who thought I was cutting lawns for a living.  She’s a great lady and just one more reason why I love this business.  You never know where you’re going to meet the next very interesting person!