Open Houses

The purpose of an open house is mostly about inter-personalization. It allows the agent to interact with neighbors and house-hunters alike. It also is one of the many marketing tools in a realtor's toolkit to offer their home-seller clients.

So next time you see an open house, stop in. Don't be afraid to sign the sign-in book with all the information requested. The worst-case scenario is that you will receive a thank-you card from that agent thanking you for attending the open house. Is that a bad thing?

Use the opportunity to ask questions from the realtor. The agent is there, use their expertise. Ask that question you always wanted to ask. Pick the agent's brain. Realtors are real estate experts, we are in that home for two hours, use our expertise to your advantage.

If you are a regular open-house attendee (or looking for that one special home and that open house is not it), ask that agent to sign you up to receive regular, customized e-mail notices of area properties for sale that you are interested in having that agent show you (or going to the open houses yourself). This service is free to you and you can remove yourself easily from the service when you are no longer interested in receiving the notices.

If you are a neighbor and just want to see your neighbor's home, do it! Agents love listening to neighbors. Speaking about listening, the one thing that surprised me about other real estate agents is that they are nice people, they actively listen when people talk; they are fun to chit-chat with. Enjoying people is what agents do best. So, neighbors, come on by! Hope to see you at my next open house. By the way, my next open house is March 16, 2008 at 8 Frost Lane, Hadley MA between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

Tip of the post: Attend open houses to get decorating and home-improvement ideas for your own home.