Open houses and yard signs are still a good source for finding a buyer for your house, even in this technology-based society.
In a 2011 survey of homebuyers, when asked where they first learned about the home they purchased, 11 percent reported from an open house or a yard
sign. While that number has declined over the last few years, it still
represents a significant portion of the buyer pool.
While it seems we have real estate open houses every weekend of the year, this coming weekend has been designated as “National Open House Weekend” by the National Association of Realtors. For the weekend of April 28-29, we will have more houses and condos open for the public to visit than any other two-day period this year.
The Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (GCAR) is partnering with the Times Free Press to ensure our market has an equally big event. Area Realtors have scheduled open houses in every price range and in all areas of our market. Many Realtors will install signage on properties that they will have open on Wednesday, preceding the weekend. This early installation allows for you to plan ahead for homes that you may want to visit as you drive the neighborhoods you like during the week.
In addition to yard signage to identify open houses, you will want to visit GCAR.NET and click on the Open House tab. This site will normally have more open houses than any other source, as builders will have multiple homes open to the public that are not listed in paid printed advertisements. This site also allows for late additions to the open house marketing, so you have access to the most complete list.
You can expect to see numerous pages of print advertising in the Times Free Press to support this event. The open house directory is a good source to plan your route, but do not overlook the various company and individual ads.
Your dream house may just be on the next page, so read the home section thoroughly.
In the same survey of 2011 homebuyers, 40 percent said they first learned about the home they purchased on the Internet. This number has continued to grow in recent years, as Realtors upload multiple pictures and video tours of the homes they have listed for sale. With the advances in video technology, a house can literally be “open” 24 hours a day < seven days a week.
There is no better substitute for “seeing it with your own eyes,” so make plans to join us today and next weekend as we celebrate National Open House Weekend!
Mark Hite is president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors