Do Open Houses Still Work for Central Illinois Sellers?

Central Illinois Real Estate Podcast

Is it really important to have an open house? Honestly, the answer is no. Open houses are not the way to get your house sold in today’s market.
Today, buyers view properties on the Internet before they decide to look at the home in person. They look at all of those beautiful, professional photos and then schedule an appointment. The second showing is when the buyer actually comes to see your house in person. Sometimes this can consist of the buyer just driving through your neighborhood to find out if they are even interested in living in the area.
Another thing to consider is whether or not you really want strangers to come in through your open house. If someone came to your house today that you didn’t know, would you just let them walk in? Would you let them wander in and check out your closet or medicine cabinet?

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Open houses are no longer effective thanks to the Internet.

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When you have an open house, you might have upwards of 10 couples rummaging through your property. Unfortunately, the one agent running your open house cannot be everywhere at once. They cannot follow everyone and ensure that everything is okay.
Not only that, most people looking at open houses may not be planning on making a move for another six to 12 months. You want a qualified, serious buyer to be looking at your home, not a bunch of looky-loos. You want someone who is approved by a mortgage company and working with a real estate agent.
The National Association of Realtor statistics say that less than 1% of home sales come from an open house. If a serious buyer sees that you are going to have an open house on Sunday, will they really wait until Sunday to look at the house? No! They will call their agent and set up a showing.
We do not recommend open houses for our clients. We are looking out for your best interests and your safety. If you have any questions about our marketing strategy for selling your house or about real estate in general, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. My team and I would be happy to help you!