This past weekend I took a few hours to drive around to some open houses in my area, Encino.
I do this for a few reasons:
1. To see what's being sold in my market
2. To meet local Realtors, to let them know I am around and I am available.
3. To see how the listings are presented to the public and other agents
I could not believe the first home I went to. I walked in and was greeted not by an agent and not by the home owner, but by two kids around 6 or 7 years old waiving toys at me. Their Mother or perhaps babysitter was right behind them. Conversation went something like this:
ME: "Hi, name is Michael Wolff and I am a Mortgage Broker in the area. Is this your listing?"
HER: "No, I am just sitting here at this open house"
ME: "Are you an agent or do you work for the listing agent?"
HER: "No, I work for the office. I help with the open house."
And that was it. She had no info about the home, just directed me to the fliers as her son attempted to take me out with some sort of toy truck tied to a rope. Both kids followed me around attempting to get my attention by throwing something or making noises. The mother/host/babysitter didn't do anything to stop them. The home wasnt the nicest in the area and was apparantly staged for showing because on all of the chairs and beds was a BIG sign with the stagers name on it and in bigger letters "DO NOT SIT ON THE FURNITURE". Seemed as if the stagers weren't even finished as there were mirrors and pictures stacked against each other in the living room. The home was otherwise clean but the garage had stacked debris and smelled like dead mice.
If I were an agent bringing clients, I would have been embarassed. If I were an unrepresented buyer, I would not of given this home a second thought!
This brings me to the topic of this post: "What do you do at an Open House?"
3 years ago, this open house may have been sufficient. Perhaps a slot in the front door that read "Insert Offers Here" would have generated some business. Not today. The open house is to not only bring in potential buyers for this particular home but also to network with Realtors for future transactions and to start a relationship with uninterested yet unrepresented buyers for other homes. How about some of my thoughts:
If you cannot attend the open house (hopefully because you have other listings and are hosting a different one!) then at least have another agent who is familiar with the home and area present to field any questions from the guests.- Hire a home stager that can make the home look like a home, not like a poorly designed and uncomfortable showcase from the Price is Right!
- Talk to prospects. Don't try to sell them the home right there but answer all questions and even ask your own. Get to know them as people, not a sale.
- Talk to the other agents! You never know who has big buyer lists and who would love connecting with a reliable listing agent!
- Don't bring your kids. We all love them, but if they can't keep quiet coloring off to the side somewhere you might as well have termites playing golf in the kitchen.
Am I way off here? Comments? Thoughts?
Pretty shabby. Did not look like the agent was giving it the proper attention. The listing agent should have been more prepared and professional with her replacement or made other another plan B.
In Maryland it is illegal for someone other than the seller who is not licensed to give out property information. For an agent to have an unlicensed person sit an open house is a huge liability. When I do open houses I gather as much information about competing lisitings as I can along with any market statistics that will be of benefit to my client. I also take work with me for any down time. I write personal notes, make calls to SOI, etc. I think nothing looks worse to a prospective buyer coming to an open house than an agent in the recliner watching TV or worse. (A friend got bored when no one was coming through and fell asleep. The buyers that did show up left her a note as a courtesy so they wouldn't wake her)
Great post and unbelievable . This is why we as a profession sometimes take it on the chin. Where is this persons business sense
In California an unlicensed person cannnot talk about the property or hand literature to a visitor -- this gal was apparently a warm body present to look after the place. She should not have brought the children. ~ Evelyn
Just another depressing story about how not to sell real estate. I'm with you I don't have time for these unprofessional type people.They should have at least gotten a rookie agent to sit in the home!
It would seem to me that the point of an open house is to generate interest in the home and ultimately to get a contract. If that is not the goal, then why even have an open house? I have been to a few open houses in our area that it really seemed like the agent did it because that is what is expected and they had the attitude that they never work so they were not going to put any extra effort into them. I have read several posts on the rain about open houses and ways to "beef them up" so to speak. I think open houses, if done properly, are a great marketing tool, not only for the house on display, but for the realtor hosting it as well.
NO EXCUSES at all for this person or her behavior, which reflects poorly on the brokerage AND the listing agent, but it sounds as if an agent may have promised a seller to hold an Open, could not or would not do it himself and couldn't find anyone else to do it...we occasionally see emails from agents offering as much as $200 to sit one of their opens and perhaps this is what happened here.
Sounds as if cancelling the open may have been a better choice!
Invariably, if I have plenty of things to keep me busy at an open, I have plenty of traffic! If not, it's a wonderful few hours and peace and quiet where I can catch up on plenty of paperwork.
I completely agree, that "open" was very unprofessional and an insult to the seller. Wow.
That's no way to conduct business. If the listing agent cannot attend the open house then another agent from the brokerage should be there.