The ActiveRain Stuff You Won't Find Anywhere Else on the Web

Brad, what a list ! Now I know why your up at 3:30 in the morning. I think this is one of those local issues. I wish they worked in Ann Arbor, Saline. But, when you only have 1-2 people come through, it is not cost effective. Goes back to real estate is local. The is one area, that does do fairly well with open houses and that is down-town Ann Arbor, The Old West Side. Thanks for putting it all out there in one place for agents to explore.

WOW!  I'm pretty sure that took a long time to do.  I'm impressed.  Great post to bookmark!

 

Goodness Gracious.  You probably didn't have time for an Open House after all that work or did you do it at an Open House,  Of course, in our current market in VA, you would have the time.

Karen

Okay. Here's what I've learned:

Bookmarked! for sometime when I am looking for some interesting read! Brad! You have outdone yourself researching and linking these!

Brad ...how many pots of coffee to link all that up?

Brad, as Mary stated above, you outdid yourself with the research!   I will definately bookmark this one because I have a feeling there is alot of knowledge to be gained from your compilation of these posts.

I have bookmarked this post. I believe in open houses. I get to know the neighbors. The seller is pleased that I am trying to get people to look at the house. They appreciate the fact that I am spending a sunday afternoon promoting their house. I am looking for a list of internet sites to advertise them.

Geeze Brad, I have some reading to do. My home desktop is so cumbersome to take to bed and read this like a good novel (wifey hates it when I ask her to hold the monitor still). :^)

Great piecing together... and an interesting subject for any Realtor for sure.  I have a friend and neighbor selling.... they had  an open house yesterday..... methinks it was REAL light in attendance.

Brad,

I guess you missed this one I want to run an open house but I can't

Wow, Brad, you've compiled one great list!  I've bookmarked it also to read when I have lots of time.  How nice of you to find and put all this information together!

Brad,

You are so good to us.  Always making things easier and saving us time. 

THANK YOU for putting these things together for us. 

You are so creative! 

 

Brad, you need to get out more! I thought my head was going to spin around from staring at all those links too long. I need another cup of coffee to keep up with you this morning!

Brad,  I think you have too much free time to be able to put together a post like that!  Time for a vacation here in Myrtle Beach!!  CLEVER!!!  Can't give you less than 5 stars for this, my friend!

WOW!!! Great post Brad. Now I have to look at all those links...thanks for the link love, by the way. :)

Can't wait to read through all those posts and learn something!

Brad,

  Awesome Post! Holy Cow! How long did it take to put all that together? Most impressive! 

  I am a Newbie to Real Estate, but not new to the notion that Open Houses rarely sell the home held Open.  I do hold Open Houses for my listings and for other associates in my office because it does bring me prospective Buyers.  I tell my Sellers exactly what I think Open Houses do and the statistical evidence that says Open Houses Do Not necessarily Sell Your house.  Interestingly enough, this past Saturday I held an Open House at one of my listings and a woman stopped by who is looking to Sell her home and she was looking for someone who "worked" on a Saturday  by going to local Open Houses. I thought that was a unique way to look for a Realtor! So, I am going on a listing appointment this week! That is apparently what  Open Houses CAN do.

  Thanks for a Great Post!
 

Great list!  Lot of great work here!

I hate doing link posts.  This one hurts me to even think about but thanks for the mention of my post about the best open house list in town.

I don't think it is a controversial subject really.  Those who like open houses, get something out of them should do them. Those who do not enjoy open houses should not do them.

Wow, Brad. Tremendous amount of info, but no way do I have time to get through it. I continue to do OHs because there are lots of folks looking. I have interested buyers from one yesterday so perhaps that will be a success. I also have picked up a couple of buyers recently. They still work best for buyers rather than the sellers, but I plan to continue.

Jeff

I'm a a recovering holder of open houses.

If you're holding your seller's house open in order to pick up buyers for other listings let me suggest you're holding it open for the wrong reason.

I have personally came to the conclusion that open houses are the biggest waste of time organized real estate has ever came with.

I took a solemn vow many years ago never to hold another open house and I have not since that day. My business continues to grow.

The sold exception (again, in my personal opinion) to holding open houses is if you're a site agent for a new development. In that instance only they're probably worthwhile.

Ok, It just came to me "THE BIG REASON TO DO OPEN HOUSES!"

They give you time to search out blog posts, and write up compilation posts like this!

I'm going to save this one and read each link in order! I gotta go schedule an open house, hmm, which listing has wifi? 

Thanks. 

Super Post for Bookmarking! I've had a recent change of heart and revelation - Open Houses are working again in my market!  They were a waste of time in the hot market we had in 2005, but are popular now, just like they were years ago in another Market Downturn.

Wow, what a list.

I think that Open Houses are not neccesarily good for the Seller. I think it raises their expectations and they end up getting disillusioned. And of course, it is the Seller whom we are representing when considering an open house.

They (open houses) are good for:

•  New Agents (wanting to familiarize themselves with RE, possible buyer contacts and networking)
•  Buyers that like to look at everything
•  newpapers (gives them advertising $)
•  Weekend Reading

However, I think the trend is about to change in many areas, not because homes routinely sell this way, but because the market is starting to demand them, especially in recently down markets.

Everyone has a different take on the "Open House" don't they!  Open houses in our area are slow.  They are very slow.  I hold open houses anyway.  I have gotten buisiness from them.  Not a lot but some.  My sellers love it.  I tell them in advance not to expect much but there is nothing wrong with trying.  As far as the "family time" issue, my whole family comes with me.  We play dominoes, cards, etc.  We use the open house for some family time!  Otherwise, we would be running the entire weekend, non-stop!!

 

Great post.  I can't believe the number of links there!!

David Stewart's comment made me spit Diet Pepsi all over my computer-which was worth reading this fine post just to read!  Great job, I'm in awe of the link work.

I believes in Open Houses. I always do them in my farms. They only work though if you work them.

Very creative post!  Nicely done!  What I'd like to know is did you read all of those blogs and what did you conclude?

Ahhhhh, the proverbial Open House. One of the most overstated topics here in the Rain. I think everyone who joins has posted their $.02 about Open Houses. Right up there with Closing gifts. Nice collection, Bradley!

Brad this one AMAZING post!!! I guess you spent you time on this sucka. OK so to stay with the overall theme of your post here is my respone "I hate open houses and I'm sticking to it!"  :)

wow, talk about an extensive list on the topic of the open house.  Very well put together, and thank you for consolidating all the info into one post.        

Brad - You really know how to create a doozy of a post. You had to be up all night for this one. I am honered to be part of your post.

Wow, Brad - what a creative way to put all those links together. You win the contest that wasn't even a contest!

Wow, Brad - what a creative way to put all those links together. You win the contest that wasn't even a contest!

And the list goes on....extensively I might ad.  It is hard to imagine that many ways to run an open house.  Nice post Brad.

Brad - You did a great job putting these all in one place. I am too tired to read them all, but like David Stewarts response. For now, I'll say Ditto and come back to read the posts you linked to.

Hi, Brad!  This is a terrific post!  I'll read all the links that you compiled so cleverly here--but not tonight.  LOL  I appreciate the time you spent putting all of them together.

I've sold two properties while doing Open Houses, but I've done a whole lot of them.  Sometimes it's a complete waste of time, other times you pick a buyer or two for another property as others have said.  I've learned to use my time productively while doing it--I bring my laptop and create flyers or addressing postcards, or writing thank you notes.  You also get noticed by the neighbors.

Brad, This is a definite bookmark. There is so much to reflect on and to use.

I am 50/50 on open houses. In my market they work in some towns/cities and not in others. I am finding out that more and more my sellers do not want an open house because of security reasons.

Things are not just what they use to be.

So, is this how you spent your weekend?

This is amazing - great job my friend.

John

 

  I'm Speechless!!

Wow.  That is almost a real estate art project

Interesting post and lots of resources. Thanks a lot.

I don't do open houses.  

BUT, if I were new in the business or in a new city I would do them every weekend.  They are a great way to meet buyers. 

I'm surprised your homes sold with open houses.  It has been extremely rare in my experience.

I had a semi-retired agent list his house with me.  He wanted to do an open house so I provided the signs for him.  He did everything right, He advertised in two papers, the week before hand.  He used signs, had refreshments and coffee and sat there all day Sat and Sun...not one visitor.

So he went out the take down the signs at the end on Sunday and upon coming home there was a car in his driveway.  

That person bought the house...that has been my only success! 

Ok, I have to admit, I was up till 1:30am on this one but felt compelled to complete it for my Sunday post. Of course Missy was up at 3:30am commenting..LOL!  This post was fun, but I wouldn't make a habit of it, very time consuming to get this creative at that hour or the night...I mean morning!  haha

David Stewart - so what did you decide?  You left a gosh darn post for a comment!! You must have read every link to every active rain members post here, and there are over 45 different links in this post!  Great job!!

Joshua - too long! :-)

Karen - the only house I had open was mine. It was darn hot last night when I posted this! LOL!

Mary - I hope you won't have to get bored to come back to this one, I know it's alot, but there are some great posts here.  I am not for or against open houses, this post is fo you to decide!  Ok, I am for them, but I am a buyer and a seller, I am not a REALTOR®.  

Keith and Robin, I did this while sitting at Starbucks!!  ....just kidding! Cute comment, thanks!

Kris - thanks, I do hope you'll enjoy them.

Gita - thanks for your opinion and comment, that's why this post is here, and comments like yours help readers to make a decision on what will work best for them.  If you Google the "Open House" websites, I bet you'll find a ton.  I think I'll start a group, or maybe you should?!?  Whatcha think?  :-)

Rob - thanks!  Me thinks it could be better if you helped that agent! :-)

Neal - it's not that I missed it, It was trying to create a sentence with your title in it that was giving me the challenge.  Thanks for your contribution and support.  I'll leave yor spam in my comments! haha LOL. You know I'm kidding my friend. Thanks again for the link!  :-) 

Carole - thanks, it was kinda fun, and challenging at the same time!

Doreen - only cause you are so good to me!! :-)  They say to do unto others as you'd have them do unto you, I think it should be, do unto others, then hope they comment!! hahaha Seriously, I appreciate your comment very much, thanks!

Lizette - grab your face and cheeks with both hands and stop your head from spinning, You don't want to get ill on your computer keyboard, then let me buy you the next round of java to get you through this post! LOL!!!! :-)

David and Ki®sten, I'm ®eady fo® that vacation in My®tle beach!! (Big Smile) 

Pamela - just putting this out there so others can make their own choices.  These are some great posts, and really make you think. Thanks for your contribution, and for giving me a "title" I could work with! :-)

Nancy - this one was "A Three Hour Tour"! LOL!  Good luck with your listing presentation, and I guess we both learned, open houses offer different values depending on the area, the circumstance, and the clients needs. Great comment, thank you.

Colleen, are you the one who got this featured? (I have this feeling), either way, thank you for your comment and my gold star!!  Wish you guys could mark these features somehow with a secret code so we could tell who featured it.  (Just for flower delivery only) :-) I understand why you can't!  You moderators are absolutely incredible.  I can't believe the amount of posts you go through, and then have to view Broker B's videos on why he didn't get "Featured". ROFLOL!!! :-)

Maureen - I know what you mean, I hate them now too! (just kidding) Thanks for commenting and you're right about controversy, maybe debate would have been a better selection of words.  Love em or Hate em, this Controversy/Debate will always exist. Hopefully this post will make it a little easier for those on the fence and can't decide if they're right for them or not. Loved your post BTW, I hope others take advantage of it too. 

Jeff - I wouldn't change a thing, but I bet ya a $1.00 you'll get some great ideas from some of these links in this post...when you get time of course!!  :-) Thanks for your acknowledgment and comment my friend. 

Jim Lee - I'm glad you shared your opinion and comment here.  This is a post for doing just as you have done.  I think there are pros and cons to EVERYTHING in life and that's the beauty of America, we can make our own choices, and speak our own voices!  I am not against or for the open house either way, but as a seller or a buyer, it's my personal preference and experience that they worked for me, and so that's the type of Agent I'd be selecting for my personal needs.  Every buyer and seller does not think the same as me, so your theory and vow will work great for those who feel differently.  As a seller, just sell my house, and as a buyer, just find me what I want....if only Real Estate were really that easy huh? Thanks again Jim. :-)

Michael - that was funny, you don't need to do an open house, just park in the street in front of any wifi property in your farm.  When they come out to ask you what you're doing, tell them you're creating a CMA for them on their property, then ask, where should you place the "For Sale" sign? LOL!

Debbie - what a great and different comment.  So what I hear you saying is that Open Houses are seasonal and can change with the market?  I Like that, probably because I hadn't considered it before.  Man I love this place, and especially the members and their comments!  Thanks Debbie! 

Karen - great comment, thanks for sharing that. 

Virginia, that's cool you bring your family, I had not heard of that before, but why not?  Thanks!!

Leigh - I am still wiping up my keyboard as well! LOL! Thanks for the compliment! :-)

Tina - very well put. You get out of anything only what you put into it!!  Nice!

David - yes I read all those blogs, that's what took this one so long, and of course trying to use the titles to work for this post. What I concluded was this post and it's "title"!  :-) What did you conclude????

Rich - that was going to be my next post!!!  The closing gift! hahaha...just kidding, thanks!!

Broker B - sorry I missed your post, there were sooooo many, It was your title that made it hard to fit into this post, but your point was made by many others.  I'm glad you included a link to it for others to review. Hope all is well, thanks my friend!

Joshua - one stop shop...I mean post! :-)

Bill - thanks for your contribution and for helping to make this "doozy" post a success. It will help many readers and agents with this long lived controversey.

Sharon - honored to have your comment, so what did I win? LOL!  Thanks Sharon!

Gary - and the list does go on....thanks for the compliment! :-)

Paula - David Stewarts post, I mean comment was quite the comment!  I hope you'll enjoy the reading of the links posted here, there is some great information and it's free to be used by those interested. Thanks!

Yolanda - thanks for your comment here, if you get any business from an open house, it's a good thing, don't forget all the seeds you are planting in the process for your future harvest! :-)

Chuck - you're right about that, things will NEVER be the same!  As long as there is change, there will be pros and cons to every aspect of this industry.

John - No. This is how I spent my Sunday night, creating a post that will hopefully provide value to my readers, clients and potential clients like you. Thanks my friend, I appreciate your comment!  :-)

Joan - Not You!!  LOL! :-)  I think that's a first!

Inside Richmond Real Estate - this IS a REAL ESTATE ART PROJECT!!  Thanks!

Bob and Carolin - I bet you say that to all the bloggers on AR.  Thanks for your comment!!

Marty - thanks for sharing your comment, and your "1" success!  What if you were to try and replicate that experience? Just a thought, how would you be able to do that? Hmmm.

 

Brad - I did not click every link - but I did love the concept - wow - that was a ton of work.... thanks for sharing - I will be back to take a closer look

Brad, WOW, what a list! You sure do spend a great deal of time on putting your posts together!  I'm very impressed!  Thanks for all your efforts!  Bookmarked and a Five!

Thesa - yes...a ton of work, but fun creating it!  Never did a post like this, thought it would be different and a bit of a challenge....and it was!  Thanks for reading, commenting, and I think you'll get some GREAT info from the links in the post!  :-)

David - this is one of those posts that took more time than I cared to spend, but I did love the challenge and also having the freedom to be creative like this.  I have not seen a post quite like it, and wanted to see what kind of response it would get.  Thanks for recognizing the time and effort that went into it!! :-)

Brad, you are a bad influence on all of us. You just keep raising the bar. When will good enough be good enough again? How can I read all these posts? How could you? This is over-whelming.

Just  so you know, I bookmarked this tremendous resource. You work was not in vain. Thank you.

And David Stewart  your comment should be a post by itself. Just copy and paste it to your blog.

Bill Roberts

Wow Brad...we are very excited that you included one of our posts about open houses in your blog. That has never happened before! You are awesome!!! Quite a list you have going here!!! You obviously did some research on this one!! It was kind of fun to read all the different entries! Thanks for sharing!

Bill - I'm a bad boy!!  I have to raise the bar because I just can't limbo under it! LOL!  I'll try to back it down a bit, and still keep them interesting...NOT!!!  I agree about David's comment, it would make a great post eh? :-)

Hi Rick and Lynn - glad you had an "Open House" post I could include. And thanks for including a title I could work with.  The most difficult part was creating sentences with others titles, and trying to make the whole thing make cents!.....I mean sense! haha

Cute - My husband once did a letter to the editor about a federal politician using all the headlines about said politician in the Toronto Papers. It was a blast.

Kathy - these types of posts and articles do take time and are a lot of fun, this one actually has a ton of great value in that the links are all open house related and really help the reader to decide if open houses work and if they are right for selling homes in this or any market.  Glad you could relate to the effort here. Thanks you husband for me!  LOL!!  :-)

Well I guess you missed mine....... Open House tips .  oh well.

Rosemary - I did get one titled Open House Tips, I'm sorry it wasn't yours, I'll get ya next time ok? It was very difficult to put this post together using nothing but other members title's about open houses. I know you understand! :-) Thanks! 

Hi Brad

I agree that Open Houses can be a great way to pick up buyers and sellers and give yourself some lowcost marketing exposure.  I've been successfully using them to build my business and I believe so strongly in them that I even wrote a information product/book on them that is being sold by The Agent Guide.  Where I share all my secrets and templates!

Cheers -

Michelle Blue

Michelle - I work with a local Broker who's entire success was built on open houses.  As I said in my post here, it will always be controversial.  It's nice to see that yo have taken the skill of the open house and placed it into a book for others to benefit. 

I bet if you read all my links, you'd see it would make for an excellent book too! :-) Thanks for commenting, I'll leave your link for others to access if they are interested.  I've put a tag and tracer on it just to see how many will ever read these comments, and then click on the link to your book.  Then I'll send you my bill for the 20% referral fee for advertising on my Blog! LOL!  ;-) Have a great week Michelle.

Wow!!  I was seeing double.

Latonia - LOL!  :-)

Very creative Brad. This must have taken you forever to do dude. The open house controversy will continue as long as there are Realtors and open houses. It's all a matter of opinion and personal preference I guess.

Thanks for stopping by and for the comment JL - Yes, it did take quite some time and more creativity than I normally have. LOL~ 

It really is a matter of opinion, all the houses I have ever bought and sold in my lifetime came from open houses.  I am a believer that there is value in open houses, and just like your recent post states, you have to be aware and keep your eyes open for those specific and unforeseen opportunities. They do exist but it will forever remain a contraversy.  That's ok, I say let it.  :-)

I'm sure that I don't have to explain to you that I am no stranger to controversy. I have always said that people should do what works for them. It's like scripts, I suck at them and can't use them to save my life. Put in front of people at an open house and let me wing it, I'm good to go every time.