CHAPTER 10 It's Opening Day Open houses are a great marketing tool—for me!
When I hold an open house, I’m trying to sell a house, but I’m also taking names and numbers of people who may have a home to sell or might be interested in other listings I have. Everyone who enters the door is a potential client. You, however, have only one goal: To sell your home. And an open house isn’t the sales tool that you might expect. The NAR’s 2014 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers determined that only 9% of buyers found the home they purchased from a yard sign or open house, down 15% from 2001, according to a U.S. News article. Now that I’ve lowered your expectations, I will admit that holding an open house can be an opportunity. Although most people initially use the internet to find a home, they often want to attend an open house to get an up-close glimpse of the house they loved on Zillow. The point is, you should do ALL you can—not AS LITTLE as you can—to sell your home. Holding a successful open house can help. Timing: The most successful open houses are held on weekends between noon and 5 p.m. Publicity: Spread the word far and wide. Place high-quality signs around the neighborhood so everyone who wants to attend knows how to get there. 62
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