Mr and Mrs Seller, Open Houses do NOT Sell Houses!!

I will state right up front that I understand that this is different in the different markets across the Country and Canada. I'm writing this blog focusing mainly on my market, here in the Dallas area.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, here is my marketing plan for your house. Will I do Open Houses? Did you see Open Houses as part of my marketing plan? Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I do NOT do OPEN HOUSES!!
In today's market, qualified and approved buyers are not the ones walking into Open Houses. If a buyer is serious about buying a house, 94% of them start their search Online looking at pictures and price ranges. They will then do a couple of different things.

One of those things is they will contact a Realtor and ask to view some of the houses they saw online. Pretending that they contacted me, my first question to them is if they are approved for a loan. They then get flipped to one of my mortgage guys for full loan approval, not just pulling the credit and giving a thumbs up.

Another scenario is that the buyers then turn around and call a mortgage person and tell him/her that they have seen some houses online and were wanting to make sure they were approved and for what price range. This mortgage person will then flip them to a Realtor who will direct them in the right direction.

When one of the above steps doesn't happen, you have people aimlessly driving the streets on a Sunday afternoon, seeing a sign and thinking, "I wonder if that house is in our price range..." They walk in, hear the price, and they grit their teeth while smiling and nodding trying to leave but the agent in the house tries to keep them there as long as possible.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, do you want unqualified and unapproved buyers walking through your house? If the house is shown by appointment through a buyer's agent, 9 times out of 10, that buyer has already been approved for a loan as most Realtors don't like to spend gas money these days by putting a buyer in their car to show them houses unless they're able to buy.


Mr. and Mrs. Seller, do you want all your neighbors walking through your house? For the most part, you won't really even see any buyers in your Open House. What you'll see are your neighbors wondering how you decorated and wondering what price you're asking and things like that.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, do you want me to spend my time generating leads for your property? or do you really want me to spend 3 hours on a Sunday sitting in your house while you have to leave and entertain yourself?

That's a rhetoric question, because no matter how you answer it, I will NOT be doing Open Houses as part of my marketing plan for your house. I rather have approved buyers walking through your house, not unapproved. I rather people walking through your house that have already been pre-screened with a credit check at minimum, rather than someone just off the street who might be looking for the good stuff and come back later to rob you.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, I understand Open Houses used to be the way to go, but with the technology of multiple photos and virtual tours for your listing, buyers rather sit in the comfort of their own home in their underwear looking at houses than drive around aimlessly as they usually don't want to waste gas either.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!!

ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

Richardson TX National Night Out Results

Each year, the second Tuesday of August, the country celebrates National Nite Out. NNO helps neighbors get together and get to know each other, and in turn, this is supposed to help promote safer neighborhoods as people start looking out for their neighbors and new friends.

I was on the Social Committee in my neighborhood this year, and it was a blast! We had 51% of our neighborhood present, which is huge! We have Crime Watch signs up throughout the neighborhood and one of the criteria to keep those signs is that we must show at least a 40% attendence at the NNO each year. As people arrive, they must sign in for their address in order for us to get credit for the attendence, even if that family can't stay and have fun.

The other part of NNO is a canned food drive. The City of Richardson collected over 10,000 pounds of canned food. Each family who attends is encouraged to bring 2 canned goods. There were over 200 parties across the city, and for a population of just under 100,000 people, that's A LOT!


Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!!

ARE YOU PACKED YET?!

Newspaper Ads Do Not Sell Houses

Will you post my house in the Dallas Morning News?

NO!

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, people don't read the newspaper like they used to. Many people have switched from the actual news paper to the online version of the paper. Yes, with the online version of the paper, your ad will appear in the online portion of the classifieds section, however, that's not where you want to be, as there is a new and separate online section for listings that are automatically fed from the MLS.

First, when an ad is placed in the paper, you're getting about 3-4 short lines to grab someone's attention. If I get absolutely no calls, does that mean that no one saw the ad? So, problem number one is that I can't track how many people the ad was put in front of like I can with my internet ads.

Second, do you really think serious buyers are looking in the paper with today's technology? The people who are looking in the paper are typically lower income and they're looking for rentals. They might call on your ad just to see if you would consider renting it, but they are not a qualified buyer inquiring on your house.

I say serious buyers aren't looking in the paper because there is a National statistic that shows about 80% of buyers are looking online when searching for a house. However, Texas has done their own research, and they show that over 94% of buyers are looking online for houses... that means only 6% of buyers are looking in the paper and at open houses and other "old school" methods of house hunting.

Mr. and Mrs. Seller, would you rather me spend my marketing money and efforts on capturing 94% of the Buying population, or would you like me to spend my time marketing your house to only 6% of buyers?

Third, people want information and they want it now. A short 3-4 line in a paper does not offer pictures or tours, or any details about the house. The typical interactive buyer is not interested in any information where they can't see a little more details before inquiring further about it.

Did newspaper ads work a few years ago, yes, of course they did. Do they work in today's market? No, they do not. Will I post an ad in the paper just to appease you? No, I will not. I can use that $100 on something more productive.

Remember, I work all of North Dallas County and Collin County including Richardson, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Carrollton, Garland, Rowlett, McKinney, etc... my car will take us anywhere you need to go!!

ARE YOU PACKED YET?!