Health & Fitness
BLOG: The Door is Open!
It's spring and open house season around town. What neighborhood do you want to check out?
The spring selling season is well under way and each weekend you will find more and more “open house” signs popping up on every corner.
Even in the age of internet and technology, Realtors know that open houses are one of the best marketing tools we have to get traffic and people into a home.
National “open house” weekend is April 28 and 29, and literally thousands of Realtors will hold open houses with the focus not just on the home for sale but also the benefits of home ownership.
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The National Association of Realtors (NAR) estimates that 45 percent of all buyers used open houses in 2011 as a source in their search for a new home. Not surprisingly, women are more likely to visit an open house than men are and older buyers are more likely than younger ones.
As the economy begins to slowly rebound, homeownership remains high on the list of good financial decisions for most Americans. More and more renters aspire to become homeowners, too, according to the NAR. The housing affordability conditions have reached the highest levels since the 1970s, giving buyers more purchasing power than they’ve had in years.
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And there is really no better way for buyers to truly “check out” a potential neighborhood. Driving through on a weekend afternoon will give you a good picture of the feel and vibe of the neighborhood based on the amount and types of activities going on.
An open house is also an excellent way to meet an agent. It’s a very friendly, relaxed environment and an easy way to get to know an agent to see if they are someone that you would like to work with.
I’ve used open houses as a great way to meet buyers and neighbors, and also as a great way to promote a listing. Oftentimes the neighbors themselves will be “on the lookout” for a house to come up for sale because they have friends that want to move into the neighborhood. Holding the house open allows them to bring their friends in to check it out without making an appointment.
All in all, as much as we love and rely on the internet and other technology, sometimes there’s no replacement for the good old fashioned face-to-face interaction.
So don’t hesitate when you see an open house sign to stop in and say hello.
