Expert: liznarr - 7/23/2007

Question
Is it wright for a realitor to sign on as my agent to a six month contract and to only have one open house by said realitor in the first five months, or to say it is not the right season for an open house?

Answer
Hi Shea,

Open Houses generally do not sell homes.  They are more an avenue for Realtors to pick up new prospects.  I guess you can tell I am not a big fan of Open Houses.

If showings on your home have been few and far between, I don’t think you would be out of line to ask your Realtor to hold an Open House for you.  

To say ‘it is not the right season’ for an open house … unless you live at the North Pole, I don’t understand the reasoning for that statement.  That’s an excuse for the record books.  If, however, you live in an area where activity is slow generally, then an open house might not be your ticket.

I would look more at pricing and condition of your home.  Is your home priced competitively?  If so or if not, and you have not had any offers, have you made periodic reductions in pricing so that buyers and agents alike will know that you are a motivated seller?

And what about the condition of your home?  Is the yard well-kept, and is the interior in good condition?  And have you packed away any clutter that would take away from showing?

Last, but not least, is your home being advertised on a regular basis?

I’m sure there are a lot more facts in your situation that I am not aware of, but I hope some of my comments above are helpful and will point you in the direction of getting more activity on your home.

Good luck to you, and feel free to write again if you have additional questions.

Regards,
Elizabeth