28 November 2008

Open House Success?

Most Realtors know that the open house is a way to obtain more clients/customers but seldom (most sources I googled show a less than one percent chance) result in the sale of the home being held open. Is it worth a shot? Sure - but realize it is a long one at best.

Being part of a "tour of homes" or a similar "event" may help improve the odds - but it is still a long shot. Assume you must hold your home open over 100 times to have a less than 1% chance of a buyer walking through the door. But does it happen? Yes.

What are some other options? Virtual tours with panoramic abilities allow a potential buyer to view the home from a variety of angles prior to actually going through the home. This saves the home owner all of the time and expense of preparing for an open-house over and over again. The party looking for a home can tour it from the comfort of their computer, and call if it looks like something they would be interested in. This increases the chance of them purchasing the home considerably.

Key Point: The virtual tour must be created in a way that keeps them interested, shows details and features in an attractive way, and looks professional. A slide show is not very effective. A moving shot going up or down a beautiful staircase, showing a deck or patio and then moving out to show the view, or showing the wood floors and moving up to the fireplace and finally the vaulted ceiling - those types of shots get telephone calls to see more!!

Interested in listing with an agent who can provide you with a real virtual tour and added Internet exposure - contact me today! Lee Hisey 440-315-6000 or leehisey@howardhanna.com

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