Nicola Kelland - Open homes

If you have bought or sold a property in the last 20 years or so, you would have been either attending open homes or having open homes at your property. But are they an effective way to market a property? What are the pros and cons?


Pro’s:

• You have time to prepare your property before the potential purchasers come to view.
• You can schedule the time of day that best suits the property.
• A number of purchasers can view the home at the same time making it effective use of time.
• Less individual appointments during the week which can be distruptive to your life.
• A busy open time adds a sense of urgency to the sale process, as purchasers see the home as very desirable.
• You capture the unconscious purchaser, who wasn’t thinking about purchasing but views the home after noticing the open home and falls in love.
• Purchasers are more likely to view a home without the pressure of making an appointment to view.

Con’s:

• Most open homes are on the weekend and the time and preparation eats into your leisure time.
• Neighbours and others see that it is an ideal time to view the house with no intention of purchasing.
• Buyers can be influenced by negative comments made about the home by other prospective purchasers.
• If it is a very busy open home it is sometimes hard to identify the serious purchasers from the “lookers”.

In my opinion most sale campaigns benefit from open homes, it never ceases to amaze me how many sales I have made to an “unconscious purchaser” who had either driven past and seen the open home or noticed the sign and noted the viewing time. But it would be fair to say, as a sales agent, that working one on one with purchasers via an appointment time is far more fulfilling and potentially more beneficial to the homeowner, as I am able to use my skills and knowledge about the property to fully demonstrate the attributes of the home.

Some properties are less suitable for open homes. This includes very expensive homes where the number of potential purchasers is low, but the interest in the house as a “show home” is great. These types of properties attract the open home “groupie” or numerous “lookers” with no interest or ability to purchase. Security is often an issue with these homeowners. Some “A listers” properties also fall into this category. The open home can attract people just wanting to see what their house looks like, or what they have in their kitchen rather than purchase the home. There are other situations where consideration is required before using open homes, talk to your salesperson about the pro’s and con’s and make an educated decision.