How a Great Website Can Generate More Qualified Buyers to Your Open House

A common misconception is that open houses have been more beneficial to realtors than homeowners. Of course that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hold an open house if you are trying to sell your home; the key is to make it work for you. By holding them at various times of the day and week makes it easier for busy people to come in for a viewing. Saturdays and Sundays are customary and convenient days to schedule open houses because most people have at least one weekend day off from work.

Another purpose to hold an open house, besides selling your home at that particular moment, is to get people talking about it. Friends and relatives of people who already live or work in your neighborhood will often buy a good percentage of homes there. Good agents know this and will use the open house opportunity to seek out potential buyers that may not be at the open house.
Statistically, 2%-5% of homes will actually sell from an open house, which realistically means opens houses could increase the salability of your home up to 5%!

Online House Hunting Opens Homes 24/7

"There’s no doubt about it, the web is changing real estate," says Phil Nothnagle, Chairman of Nothnagle Realtors. Nothnagle.com, which has over 13,000 visitors per day, gives people the tools to view homes inside and out and map their routes all at their own pace. Phil goes on to say, "Some people don’t want to spend a day in the car like they did in years past. More of the browsing is now done online first which means more qualified buyers at open houses."
While some may say open houses will inconvenience the sellers because they will have to show their house more often, it’s worthwhile because these parties are more serious buyers and they’ve done their research.

As we move into the 21st century, agents will become more competitive by using such technologies as well-designed websites, digital cameras, video home tours and online chat services. An agent should use all resources available to him/her in order to market the listing; one never knows where the buyer will come from for that particular property. For now, open houses are the cornerstone of the real human element of selling real estate in this computer age.

LOOK FOR NOTHNAGLE’S
OPEN HOUSE EXTRAVAGANZA
ON JUNE 24, 2007!