When this question is posed, arguments begin.

One one end, some homeowners view the lack of Open Houses as a sign of outright laziness from their agent. Their home has been on the market for a long time and maybe it would already be sold if only their agent had put some efforts into some weekend Open Houses.

“Open Houses just don’t work” - claims their agent. “They are a complete waste of time. I sit and sit in an empty room waiting for prospective buyers to show up and they never do”.

They might both be right.

The short answer to our Open House question is: It Depends!

Location

Where your home is located in relation to major thoroughfares is probably the single most important factor that will determine the success of an open house (or lack thereof). After all, open houses rely on traffic redirection by means of road signs. From our experience in selling Houston real estate, open houses in homes tucked deep into subdivisions tend to be real snoring contests, while those near major streets are generally more successful. As a rule of thumb, if it takes more than 5 “Open House” signs to direct traffic from the road to your home, you’re probably in too deep.

Define: Successful Open House

We must be clear about setting some realistic standards for productive open houses. Sometimes sellers have this idea that open houses in real life are the same as those in HGTV  life. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If two semi serious prospects come to a two hour weekend open house, you’ve got yourself a winner. Now notice that I said “prospects”, not tire kicking neighbors trying to kill 20 minutes snooping into your home.

RSVP=Success

Usually, ancillary marketing campaigns can help make an Open House successful by getting prospects to RSVP for it. We advertise our Open Houses through email campaigns directed at other real estate agents that work in the area. In addition, we try to attract other buyers through Craigslist advertising as well as notification of the Open House on SignatureHouston.com.

Agent should be selling YOUR house

In a cruel twist of the argument, some homeowners complain that agents are (ab)using their home’s open houses to get more buyer business for themselves without ever trying to actually promote and sell their house. While the agent has every right to pursue a prospect that might genuinely not like that particular house, they cannot bypass their duty to their clients to represent them during the sale of their home. In my view, agents engaging in this practice are very much the exception and not the rule.

No Open Houses are OK

Marketing and selling homes is about having numerous tools and strategies to accomplish the ultimate goal. Every property is different and it may require a different combination of such strategies in order to sell. And that combination may not include Open Houses. Try talking to your Houston Realtor about what their overall strategy is for selling your home. Get involved in the process and then hold them accountable for it. But give them the appropriate professional freedom to do their job.

Also Read:

• Buying Houston bank foreclosure homes
• A yard sign is not even close to enough
• Selling your home? Know its marketing schedule
• Keep your Houston Realtor® on their toes
• Houston Real Estate Sales Slide in March