If you are asking if an open house will help sell your home, then my answer is “unlikely”.
Before the Internet boom (before the majority of people turned to the Internet to find their next home), people relied on printed MLS books, newspaper listings, Real Estate magazines, and driving around their desired neighbourhoods to find open houses. Back in those days (before 1995), open houses were an effective way to help sell a home. The people who entered the open house were actually ‘likely buyers’ who were in the market to actively search for a home to purchase.
What we see nowadays though, is a trail of nosey neighbours and week-end tire-kickers who want to get decorating ideas or just want to compare your home with theirs so that they can imagine up a value for their own.
So why are open houses still held?
- There is still a VERY slim chance that the person who enters the open house will in-fact buy it (based on the opinion of at least 50 Real Estate Agents questioned, the response is about a 2% chance)
- The Seller may not believe, or has not been educated about the way in which buyers now purchase a home, and the Agent holds it to satisfy the Sellers demands.
- The Agent wants to draw in potential Buyer and Seller Clients, and this is a great way to meet new Clients.
The majority of Buyers, about 96%, now look at the Internet when searching for a home. Real Estate Agents look on the Internet within their own system, and email or call their Clients when suitable homes become available. The Real Estate Agents own system is the one that feeds the public realtor.ca website. Most real estate boards have now stopped issuing the printed MLS books.
In short, if your home or cottage looks like it may be suitable for someone, then they will make AN APPOINTMENT to come view your listing. Those are the type of people who you really want looking around your home!
As much as half of the energy used in homes goes toward heating and cooling. The following are a few ways that energy bills can be reduced through adjustments to the heating and cooling systems:
Thankyou to Greg Thomson with Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections in Muskoka for contributing towards this article on how to make our homes more energy efficient.