Central Ohio open houses are not for lazy agents. Real estate agents... open houses are a lot of work if done right. I doubt anyone "lazy" would do an open house, they are a lot of work.
Parts of Central Ohio are great for open houses, other parts? Not so much.
ActiveRain a national real estate network has been a hot bed of debate lately about whether open houses are good or bad. Whether open houses work or do not work. Whether agents who tell their sellers to have an open house as part of their marketing are lying to them. The lie? That the agent holding the open house will meet people at the open house and show them other homes, once they've determined the Open House is NOT what the buyer wants.
I think home owners are a lot smarter than that. At least in Central Ohio.
Are agents that don't hold open houses lazy? No. Open houses don't work everywhere. Rural areas? Not all parts of Central Ohio are good for open houses, so I would have to assume that agents in other markets know their market...
What I don't understand is why Revolting REALTORS®* want all agents to NOT hold open houses because open houses do not work in their market. Or in their marketing plan. Or their calendar.
Lowes via Rismedia and RealTown weigh in on the debate talking directly to consumers from sea to shining sea. The debate rages on... In Tips for a Successfule Real Estate Open House author Paige Tepping and Lowes say to home sellers:
"The Sunday real estate open house is a longstanding ritual in the real estate marketplace, and many homes have been sold on a lazy Sunday afternoon. When used properly, open houses can be a great marketing strategy. "
Central Ohio open houses are not for all neighborhoods
Clintonville is usually a great area for open houses. A coworker said she had 45 people at her open house last Sunday. She had an appointment to write an offer on the house with a couple who'd attended the open house Sunday.
Worthington is usually a great area for open houses... the older the better if you get my drift. OK I am saying an open house in Old Worthington is usually good. City of Worthington open houses are better than open house in homes in Worthington schools, in the City of Columbus or an unincorporated area.
Lewis Center... not so much... well I am writing this post about Franklin County so let's just ignore that county to the north for now. Not as good an area for an open house in my humble opinion. Given my druthers I will stay in Franklin County most Sunday afternoons. There are areas in Franklin County that are not as good for open houses than others. I would have said Minerva Park would not be a good area for open houses before 2006. I would have been wrong.
Sometimes the open houses in Clintonville or Old Worthington can be too busy. How can you talk to everyone? There are people who just want to look at decorating.
Central Ohio has something that other parts of the country do not actually have. A brokerage that has elevated the Open House via their website. The Real Living HER Open House List is the best there is in Central Ohio... but maybe I am biased.
The Real Living HER Open House List (the link is to the open house list on my site, MaureenMcCabe.com)
There will NOT be a lot of Real Living HER Open Houses this weekend. Have a great Labor Day weekend. 
Next weekend is the Real Living's third Second Sunday Open House... there will be lots of Open Houses in Central Ohio open house country.
Is your Central Ohio neighborhood in open house country?
The image at the top is a Real Living ecard.
Columbus home SALE prices are up
The Columbus Board of REALTORS® announces...
Edit March 2011 to fix the Real Living HER Open House List link.
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This post provided by Maureen McCabe of Real Living HER
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Website: MaureenMcCabe.com
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