Almost all the agents who responded to the survey (97 percent) had held public open houses, but only 41 percent believe those events help sell the home thats being showcased. Thirty-two percent believe public open houses attract many potential buyers for other Brampton properties, but nearly three-fourths also believe those buyers are more likely to buy a home other than the one being held open. And 62 percent say most people attending open houses arent serious buyers at all.
Also, nowadays everyone is searching for real estate on the internet. An internet lead is more qualified then an open house lead. An internet lead already knows the price of the house, the size, how it looks (from the pictures / virtual tour) before they call the agent. An open house visitor has no idea about any of those things when he walks into the house. Just to be polite theyll make compliments and usually leave a wrong phone number.
Even though open houses may be of only marginal benefit for Brampton sellers, they arent necessarily a total loss for sharp agents. In addition to bringing in buyers for other homes, open houses create opportunities for agents to sign listing agreements with neighbors who stop by to see the open home. Fifty-five percent of the survey respondents agreed with the statement that open houses help them generate new listing contracts. Public open houses also present a security issue for home sellers and agents. Whether or not to hold an open house is a concern among agents, says Jack Harris, a research economist with the Texas A&M center. Agents must be on-site for the duration of open houses. Safety is a growing concern because there is no way to know whether a visitor is a serious buyer, just curious or has more sinister motives.
A lot of the times you will just get nosey neighbors wanting to see how your house is decorated or people just out for shopping in Brampton will drop by because they want to know how much to price their house when its time for them to sell. MLS is the most effective way to get qualified buyers.
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