It's Nothing to Write Home About

"It's nothing to write home about," the gentleman loudly said into his phone while Face-Timing his out-of-town friend, "but for your purposes, it will do."

"Pardon me?"

Listen, reasonable minds can agree to disagree, but it's probably NEVER a good idea to walk through a house in front of the listing Agent critiquing it while others are within earshot, especially as we've just spent weeks getting the property ready for the marketplace to make sure it shines and presents in its best light.

Happily, that wasn't most people's response to this charming home which received multiple offers, but while I've written about this topic before, it's clearly time once more (post-Covid), to review Open House protocol. (This is for your own good, so listen up!)

Here are my top 10 "Dos" and "Don'ts" at a Sunday Open House . . . .

1) DO introduce yourself and sign in; registrations is now required courtesy of the DOJ settlement. Your phone number and email are not necessary, just your John Hancock (and if you want to sign as "John Hancock," that works too).

2) DO ask if you can video the house before pulling out your phone and assuming as much. While most houses are staged, the Sellers might have a strong objections to the lack of privacy, especially if their personal possessions are on display.

3) DO manage your children. An Open House is not a public playground, and children should never explore the house unattended. A few years back we actually had a young boy race through a plate-glass window at top speed. (Luckily, his injuries were minor, but it was beyond scary for everyone involved.)

4) DO NOT bring your dogs to an Open House. More often than not, we've just refinished the hardwood floors and replaced the carpets, so it's safe to assume that few Sellers would welcome your pups in their newly-minted house, no matter how well mannered. And while I personally love dogs, not everyone feels similarly, so please don't ask if it's okay. It's really not. (DO feel free to tie them up outside.)

5) DO ask questions as they pertain to the house or the neighborhood. We're happy to answer any inquiries you may have, and we'll get back to you on anything we don't have an immediate answer to.

6) DO identify your Realtor® so we can reach out and follow-up with he/she/them if need be.

7) DO visit several Open Homes to gain context around the marketplace. Market knowledge can only help you when the time comes to get serious.

8) DO revisit the property with your Agent after the Open House to work through any objections or concerns you may have regarding the property.

9) DO NOT arrive at closing time and then stay well beyond the advertised open hours. Open Houses are arduous affairs to say the least. They start at the crack of dawn with the placement of A-frames on street corners, followed by baking cookies, printing materials, and making sure everything is up to snuff. Once we've finished with the general public, we're often pulling out a mop and broom before getting back into our cars to pick up the signs we put out in the early morning. In short, it makes for a looong day. Please don't make it longer.

10) DO thank the showing Agent as you leave and take a cookie for the road. Frankly, it's the polite thing to do, and you'll be remembered should you elect to write. In a competitive marketplace, having the listing Agent in your corner is never a bad thing.

Try to remember that potential Buyers are as much on display at the Open House, as is the house itself. As representatives for the Sellers, we're making mental notes about who we believe will be a good "fit" for the property, and more importantly, who is likely to be confrontational throughout escrow.

Consequently, your behavior (both good and bad), questions, and concerns tell us a lot about you. No one wants to work with a Buyer who is going to be problematic. In other words, if you're already publicly nitpicking the property at the Open House, that's a BIG RED FLAG!

Instead, save your concerns and negative observations for private conversations with your Agent. Your Agent will, in turn, contact the listing Agent for more detailed answers, which is the correct way to go about digging deeper into any house.

While curiosity is an inevitable (and welcome) part of the process, there's a right way - and a wrong way - to go about it. Opens are your opportunity to view the home, meet the selling Agent, and make a POSITIVE impression, so use them to your advantage (not your disadvantage), and your outcome is far more likely to be met with the success you are hoping to achieve.

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