Open House Draws Buyers

by Darrin DeRoches January 17 - 23, 2013

The year is starting off right. I did an open house this past weekend and it was the best open house I have ever held. The buyers were out and they were looking to buy. The second week of January tends to be the beginning of the New Year market but the turnout was amazing. The property is located in a great neighbourhood and there were a couple of other open houses in the area but the sheer number of couples, parents and grandparents was impressive. The weather was amazing and I am sure it helped out with the number of people looking but there were a lot of buyers out looking to buy.     People showed up early and the last group stayed late. The flow of people was constant and I felt like a doorman at a nightclub instead of a broker at an open house. We just left the door open to keep things moving smoothly. People were waiting to get in while some were taking off their shoes, others snuck in the side door. Good thing I brought a mortgage broker with me who was able to help with the volume of people.     The real “take away” from the open house was not that we are going to sell it fast at top price but rather that there are a lot of people looking to buy a property. Most people go to open houses to start their “window shopping” which means they are probably not going to buy today but definitely this year. We had over a hundred people through the doors – I feel four couples are actually serious and I would expect second showings or an offer this week. Open houses are only successful if they bring an offer or they successfully expose your property to the neighbourhood. There are always the “nosey neighbours” who come and pick apart the house. It is really easy to spot them since they are trying the hardest to “act” as a buyer. Most agents try to sign up prospective buyers or talk to the neighbours about possibly selling their home. The day was so busy that we could only give our information and work with those who seemed most interested.     So why was the open house so busy? Marketing, timing and weather. A broker has to know his market and how to reach it. The buzz created by the busy open house will make potential buyers think fast about making an offer since they see all the activity on the house. We had one couple call their parents to come down and take a look due to the crowds. We may have gained a couple of potential clients but all who came to the open house will remember the buzz our listing created! V     Darrin DeRoches is a local real estate and mortgage broker. He can be reached to answer questions, comments or stories about real estate experiences through this weekly column at mail@uniquerealty.ca.