Why I Stopped Doing Open Houses The First Weekend
Open houses the first weekend – we all do them. We tell our clients it will increase exposure.
But what if those open houses are making it more difficult to sell your listing?
Consider this…
Buyers have come to rely on open houses to view properties. It’s convenient for them, but it means fewer showings.
And here’s where that becomes a problem:
Scenario #1: You receive an offer.
Congratulations! But what’s the first thing your seller asks?
“Is anyone else is interested? Can we get another offer?”
You can reach out to the agents who scheduled private showings, but what about everyone who came through the open?
Were they serious buyers? Do they want to write an offer?
You don’t really know. And even if there was another interested buyer, you don’t have a way to reach to them.
Scenario #2: You don’t receive an offer.
Now you’re trying to figure out why.
Maybe you had 20 groups through the open house. That’s great!
But how many were true buyers ready to make an offer vs neighbors or people just starting to look?
So I’ve been trying something different.
I’ve stopped holding open houses the first weekend a listing is on the market. How we hold them on the second weekend.
Here’s what’s happened…
Our showings skyrocketed.
The serious buyers scheduled appointments with their agents instead of waiting for the open.
Which means I now have a much clearer picture of who’s actively looking at the property.
If an offer comes in, I have agents to call.
If we don’t, I have better information about how many buyers are in the market. Which means we can have a more informed conversation about pricing, strategy and next steps.
And here’s the unexpected bonus.
The people coming through tend to be earlier in their home search, or neighbors who are curious about the property.
Which means they haven’t connected with an agent yet. I’m meeting people I might actually have an opportunity to work with.
Better information for my sellers. More direct connections with serious buyers. And potentially better opportunities to meet future clients.
All from changing when I hold an open house.
Sometimes the best way to get better results isn’t to do more.
It’s to question the way we’ve always done things.
To your success!
Nicole
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