Open
Houses for FSBO Sellers
by
Raynor James
The first requirement in finding a buyer for a home
is to make sure the pool of potential buyers know it is
on the market. For FSBO sellers, holding an open house
can help to get the word out to buyers.
Open Houses
Open houses are very effective at helping sell real
estate in many parts of the country. Real estate agents
use open houses constantly to generate interest in homes
[and get new clients]. Should FSBO sellers (people who
are selling their own homes) also use open houses to
generate buyer interest? Yes, with one caveat.
Location, Location, Location
The cliché "location, location, location" applies to
more than one aspect of real estate. Not only does it
address appreciation issues, it also applies to open
houses.
First of all, the FSBO property needs to be located
in an area where open houses work. This area tends to be
in city, town and suburbs where the housing market is
hot. Holding an open house usually works well where the
following circumstances exist:
1. There is a good population base,
2. The home for sale can easily be seen by a lot of
people,
3. There are more buyers than sellers, and
4. Properties sell rather fast in the area.
Rural areas and areas in which sales are slow dont
generally work very well. Perhaps worse, the FSBO seller
can become easily disillusioned with low turnouts. If
your home is in one of these areas, youre probably
better off listing it on the Internet.
An open house is a great tool for FSBOs living in a
suitable location. Are you one of them?
Raynor James is with
http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing FSBO homes
for sale by owner. Visit our "sell my home" page at
http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to list and
sell your home for free for one month. Visit
http://www.fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm to see homes
for sale by owner. |