5 REASONS SMART SELLERS SKIP THE OPEN HOUSE

What do you mean you don't hold open houses? I thought all agents did that. And you don't do flyer boxes either? What kind of real estate gig is this? 

Let's clear one thing up right away - we will ABSOLUTELY hold an open house if the client insists upon it. But, because we work in the best interest of the client, it's best to know a few key tidbits first:
 

1. VERY few homes are actually sold at an open house. Like close to zero. You know who comes through open houses? Typically three groups of people who aren't probably going to buy your home: nosey neighbors, people just starting their search (and not actually prepared to make an offer), and bored hobbyists who love HGTV, interior decorating and need something to do after church. Will your house be the exception to the rule? If I'm there, I sure hope it is. Of course there are anecdotal exceptions out there, but if the market is slow enough to have time to do an open house, there aren't many cases where this isn't true. 
   
   
2. Surprise! Open houses market THE AGENT, and NOT your property.  Shhh...I just told one of the industry's little secrets. Open houses are a boon for agents looking to pick up new clients. Because so many people are "just looking" and aren't quite serious yet, it's a perfect time to start working with an agent. Buyers in a low-commitment phase are ready to select a realtor, but not ready to buy your house.
   
   If you're okay with spending your weekend cleaning until you drop, disrupting your entire family and vacating your home for the better part of a weekend just to give me a great opportunity to pick up clients, well, thank you! But as someone working in the best interest of the seller (that's you!) an open house is not usually in your best interest.
   
   
3. Open houses are a true security risk. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves. This doesn't just happen on DatelineNBC. We're in the middle of a prescription drug crisis. Some seemingly honest people wouldn't mind getting their hands on a bottle of Viagra, uppers or downers for their own use, or to sell on the streets. They may pick up a handful of mail or other personal information and compromise your transaction during the closing process via identity theft or wire fraud. Just last year a Tulsa family lost thousands to wire fraud.  Open houses are also security risks for the agents hosting the event - the nature of the event makes agents easy targets for robbery or worse. 
   
   
4. Open houses are terribly outdated. Remember when floral wallpaper was cool? Yeah, that was the last time open houses were a "must do" marketing item. Eons ago! Most people remember the stacks of paper flyers and parades of people at open houses and associate that with success. And it can be comforting because it LOOKS like we're doing something, that the h-u-s-t-l-e is on. But is that still the best marketing tool we've got? No. Not even close. Technology has changed the entire process - buyers and sellers move through a transaction quite differently now.
   
   Who needs a runny box of rain-soaked flyers when Facebook, Google and Apple know more about what makes a potential buyer tick than even the buyer does! The depth of information available about potential homebuyers makes presenting digital marketing more efficient and cost effective. And Smart Move absolutely uses highly-targeted geographic, demographic and psychographic characteristics to craft an audience of buyers receiving messages about your home. 
   
   
5. "Ready, willing and able" buyers don't shop open houses. They make private showing appointments.  Moving is inherently messy, disruptive and expensive.  It's one of the big 5 major life events. A sale is successful when both parties are "ready, willing and able". Why would you open your home to anyone who has not proven they are ready or able to purchase it? It's a waste of your precious time and resources.
   
   Signals that a homebuyer is "ready, willing and able" include obtaining a pre-qualification letter or proof of funds, marketing their own home for sale, retaining a real estate agent and making private showing appointments. Most realtors won't take on a client without these prerequisites, and certainly won't waste their time chauffeuring around someone who isn't serious. Your time is money. Our time is money. If a realtor won't take on a potential client without these things, why should you?  Moving is stressful enough. Please only disrupt your life for ready buyers, not for curious folks with no skin in the game. 

If you're ready to say adios to the open house and hello to your cash at the closing table, let's partner to get your house sold. Call (405) 821-1225 or email ally@smartmoveok.com #SmartMoveRealEstate #OKC #Edmond #SmartSellsBetter #SophisticatedRealEstate

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