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Not Open Houses What About Open Houses, Direct Mailing, and Office Tours?
Again, let me remind you that agents are trained to use advertising and marketing programs to promote themselves NOT to sell your home.
Open Houses
I have sold nearly a fourteen hundred homes in the past 10 years but I've only sold two of my own listings at an Open House. Two in over ten years. That's how effective Open Houses are. One of the largest track home builders in Clark County also knows they are a complete waste of time so they CLOSE their model home centers on Sundays! As you can see Open Houses are not a good marketing plan and I no longer offer that service. Yet, real estate agents still present "Open Houses" as one of their "marketing plans," as the right way to sell your property. Yet real estate industry-wide statistics say that only 1 out 100 homes are ever sold as a direct result of Open Houses!
Then why do we see agents holding Open Houses ever so diligently all over the place? It's all about generating leads because that's one of the effective ways to attract potential prospects. Selling your home is only secondary to an agent because they know that the chances of selling that home at an Open House is near to none. The most productive and successful agents don't even hold Open Houses, they leave this to their assistants, new agents, and other non-productive agents in their offices. I once had a "semi-retired" agent who did no other marketing to promote herself other than Open Houses. As you might have guessed, she never personally sold any of the homes she held open. Although she did gather a list of potential home sellers for herself to prospect. You see the typical person who comes to a open house is not a Buyer but a person who has a home to sell! They want to check out your home since it could be their competition.
Direct Mailing
Direct mailing is similar to advertising, it is nothing more than a way for an agent to announce that he or she has another property just listed or sold. A lot of agents even use other agents' sales to make them look impressive on their mailers. I personally use a lot of Direct Mail but I only advertise my own sales production. It is not designed to sell homes but to get potential sellers to visit my website or give me a call. So what does direct mail have to do with the sale of your home? Not much! Once you post the For-Sale sign in your yard, everyone in the neighborhood knows your home is for sale.
The Tours
Sure it looks impressive to have a caravan of brokers and agents come through your property and chow down the snacks and beverages you or your agent prepare for them. Who do you think these agents are that have the time to spend the day touring a ton of houses?
Agents with nothing better to do or don't have the money for lunch (sometimes called the lunch crowd).
Brokers who are interested in recruiting other agents.
Agents who need to place their newly listed properties on the following week's tour.
Affiliates such as title insurance companies, home warranty companies, or mortgage companies.
Most real estate companies require agents to participate in a tour the week before they place their listings on tour. Why would real estate companies do that? Office managers, brokers, and owners are interested in recruiting agents and this is a great opportunity to socialize with other agents. It's also a great opportunity for affiliates, like title or loan companies to solicit business. Not too many productive agents would show up on tour if it was not a requirement! They would only tour select properties with the specific needs of their clients in mind.
And, you think all these "smoke and mirrors" have anything to do with the sale of your home.
What About the Glossy Profile Books?
What About the Area Specialist?
Click back on your browser BACK to Not the Area Specialist to find out the truth about these things!
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