Public Open Houses Seldom Work in Wellesley

1. Public Open Houses seldom work for Wellesley sellers.

2. Public Open Houses in Wellesley can be dangerous.

A Wellesley listing agent advertises an open house. The chances of a prospective buyer who is ready, willing and qualified to buy a seven figure home in Wellesley seeing that ad are so infinitesimal as to be non-existent. It rarely if ever happens.

So, why the charade? Because the concept of an open house sounds right and feels good to sellers, thus placating them into believing that some positive activity is taking place when it isn't.

On any given Sunday, you can drive around Wellesley open houses. Are the listing agents present at the open house? Rarely, because they know that open houses are generally a waste of their weekend time.

Typically, open house attendance is left to a junior assistant. An assistant hopes that a few of the generic lookers will become her new clients. So, in essence, YOUR open house is really just YOUR charitable gift to give your listing agent's assistant an opportunity to acquire clients to whom she will later show somebody else's house.

Now, the dangerous part.

You are publicly advertising that a single person, usually a woman, will be alone in an unoccupied house. That's scary enough. Now, picture this. A group enters the house, the welcoming, polite listing assistant is engaged by the leader as the rest of the group roams freely and unescorted through your house with full access to your electronics, your jewelry, your prescription drugs and your personal information.

What is unlikely to happen unfortunately does happen. So why would you assume liability for a marketing strategy with a near zero chance of being successful? And, why would your knowledgeable listing agent recommend it?

Now, in contrast, brokers' open houses directed toward cooperating agents in the luxury field do work. They are a must. And, the essential part of successful sales that does work is getting on the phone and staying on the phone relentlessly pursuing leads until a sale is made. Selling luxury real estate in Wellesley is actually unglamorous hard work.

Be assured that, phone in hand, I will be working hard every day on your behalf.

I am Bill FitzPatrick. I am Wellesley Real Estate. Call me.