Open House Hits — and Duds
Most agents I know — myself included — are moving from a two hour to a ninety minute open house.
Here’s why:
–You can do a “double-header” (back-to-back open houses) more easily that way. In fact, the preferred time slots are 12:30 p.m – 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.;
–Ninety minutes is plenty to allow motivated Buyers to get through, but . . .
–Short enough to cut your losses if the open house is a dud (yes, it happens to the best of us).
Defining Terms
So, what constitutes “good traffic” at an open house?
Quality matters more than quantity — I’ll take 3-4 serious Buyers (or one!) over a dozen “tire kickers.”
But in general, I’d define a successful open house as one where there’s steady traffic, and a “buzz” for most of the two hours (er, 90 minutes).
P.S.: Regardless of how long an open house is, though, one truism is likely to remain: half the traffic will show up the first 15 minutes, the other half . . . just as you’re locking up.
