K.M. Minemier & Associates is a certified Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) engaged in full service real estate asset management and marketing.

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Open Houses: Benefits, Perks and Safety

March 06, 2018

 

Gibbs Realty and Auction Co., Inc

The Benefits and Perks of Holding an Open House

When we started the Open House program on HUD’s FHA insurable listings, we did not expect such great results in attendance and sales. It is especially successful if you add the Open House information to the multiple listing sheet at least a week in advance which we have feed to over 91 Homes Websites on the internet through Listhub. We wanted to share our view of the Open House Program to encourage you to do the same.

Here are the 6 greatest benefits we have seen at Gibbs Realty of the Carolinas:

  1. Open Houses motivate buyer agents to bring their clients in before the open house
  2. Buyers love open houses, it will motivate buyers to view the property in a more casual setting without any perceived added “pressure” of making an appointment to view the home.
  3. Since we have started the open house program on the FHA insured homes, none of our insurable listings have gone into the “Extended” period.
  4. Advertising in advance in the MLS, which feeds to over 91 homes websites on the internet has brought in over 15-20 buyers to some open houses.
  1. Keeps our aged inventory to a minimum
  2. The extra exposure and activity seems to create more of a bidding frenzy which  results in bids over the asking price at times.

Safety First at Open Houses

Please keep your safety as a priority anytime you are showing a home or hosting an Open House. I have included 10 Safety Tips for Holding a Safe Open House from the National Association of Realtors:

  1.  If possible, always try to have at least one other person working with you at the open house.
  2. Check your cell phone’s strength and signal prior to the open house. Have emergency numbers programmed on speed dial.
  3. Upon entering a house for the first time, check all rooms and determine several “escape” routes. Make sure all deadbolt locks are unlocked to facilitate a faster escape.
  4. Make sure that if you were to escape by the back door, you could escape from the backyard. Frequently, high fences surround yards that contain swimming pools or hot tubs.
  5. Have all open house visitors sign in. Ask for full name, address, phone number and email.
  6. When showing the house, always walk behind the prospect. Direct them; don’t lead them. Say, for example, “The kitchen is on your left,” and gesture for them to go ahead of you.
  7. Avoid attics, basements, and getting trapped in small rooms.
  8. Notify someone in your office, your answering service, a friend or a relative that you will be calling in every hour on the hour. And if you don’t call, they are to call you.
  9. Inform a neighbor that you will be showing the house and ask if he or she would keep an eye and ear open for anything out of the ordinary.

Don’t assume that everyone has left the premises at the end of an open house. Check all of the rooms and the backyard prior to locking the doors. Be prepared to defend yourself, if necessary


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