Are Sunday Open Houses a Seller Pacifier?
Are Sunday Open Houses a Seller Pacifier?
Are Sunday Open Houses a Seller Pacifier? This is the question posed by an elite group of top producing real estate brokers in a recent Inman News article. What is the true effectiveness of Sunday open houses in the Atlanta Georgia real estate market? This is the question that is most important to me as a real estate broker selling houses for people who are anxious to sell their home.
As an experienced listing agent I know that Sunday Open Houses have not been effective in selling the homes I have listed. But I do run into situations where a frustrated home seller sees other homes nearby where Sunday Open Houses being held nearby and feels like their home is not going to sell unless we hold one.
Check out these comments by Author Mike Minihan in Inman News:
Here’s the truth, though: Open houses these days are nothing more than a way to make sellers feel like agents are working hard for that 6 percent.
It’s the pacifier you stick into a crying baby’s (frustrated seller’s) mouth to make them feel better and be quiet. After all, it’s a lot easier to set up camp at your seller’s house for four hours with some snacks and the game on Sunday than it is to have that much-needed discussion about adjusting the price, isn’t it?
It’s not nearly as effective in selling the home, though.
My feelings exactly. The Sunday Open Houses is not about selling a listing – it is about making the home seller feel better about the marketing of their home. Serious buyers are constantly monitoring online listing sites as they look for their next home.
Todays buyers are smarter than waiting for a Sunday Open House before they decide to take a look at a house listed for sale.
The fact is that serious buyers today are not waiting for balloons on the mailbox to see a home. Serious buyers know a home is for sale before their agents do a lot of the time because they have their phones set to sound an alarm — day and night — as soon as a new listing that meets their criteria hits Zillow or their local MLS.
So why do we continue to see Sunday Open Houses?
- Less experienced real estate agents do not want to risk losing what may be their only listing when a seller becomes frustrated that their over priced home has not sold.
- Experienced agents sometimes hold Sunday Open Houses to gather in neighbors who might also be interested in selling their home.
- Some real estate agents just dont know any better. They have a real estate license but they dont understand digital marketing.
- According to Mike Minihan: “It’s a great way to get paid to prospect for new clients for the agent, but it’s not going to get a seller’s home sold.”
When you see the balloons and Sunday Open House signs pop up in your neighborhood, think about who is really benefiting from the Sunday Open House. Its a cheap form of entertainment for a lazy Sunday afternoon – thats a good enough reason for some folks
