I have met new buyers or sellers via an open house. At this point, however, there are more effective (and efficient) ways of selling homes and earning new business.

If a client would like an open house, I will honor that, but most sellers have heard the message and simply don’t want them. They know the primary interest served is that of the agent and not the sale of their home.

I smiled when I read about your ‘trigger shy’ buyers. We could have one helluva party if we pooled ours. In a market flooded with distressed inventory, I can clearly see what does impress them.

The reality is that – unless it’s an investor- that emotional pull is very powerful. The small things that collectively help to illicit that emotional response from a buyer do make a difference.

Look at the ways builders spend money to create that emotion? Music, fountains, fancy brochures, gifts for the kids…it all goes into creating that emotional feel for a buyer. If it was just about the house – they wouldn’t bother with the additional expense. I do think that buyers make a decision based in part, by the way they felt when they were at the property.

It’s tough to quantify the value of those touches – but I still think it makes good business sense.

Now, and more importantly, where did my avatar go? I don’t look anything like that black shadow man. I am more charcoal gray.

Or, as Kris put it before her nap, maybe I’m just a cheapskate. I should have bought the wine at Inman …

Night-shot photography is an enormously influential selling tool.
And IDX is a sleeping giant for those who are not already on the boat. Get familiar and get creative. Make the process fun, and don’t use your site as a virtual resume.

Now, how did you know we shoot the switch covers? You must have seen it in the interactive floor plans we also waste our money on.

Seriously, you are right that whiz-bang collateral materials will not make a buyer purchase a home which does not fit their needs. But, in a tight race, it may be the thing that helps make that connection. It might be the swing vote, even though the impact is subliminal.

The reality is that it could be I would be better off throwing big wads of cash out on the Interstate. After all, I held on to newspaper advertising far too long. But, I do see the quality of the marketing making an impression with would-be buyers as well as sellers. So, for the time being, I am sticking to my guns.

Sorry for being unoriginal and hijacking your post, although this could be the beginning of a new, hit Point/Counterpoint series. Can I be Chevy Chase?

I’m probably not giving you popcorn ceilings. But I also may not be giving you glass block, if the overall photo doesn’t really do much beyond that. Do I need to show the buyers the cool chrome switch covers, too? Probably not.

Coffee table books look cool but I cannot (or will not) believe that they cause someone who otherwise not purchase the property to make an offer. “Yeah, the family room is kind of small but my god, look at this coffee table book!”

As I clarified in the comments, I don’t have a problem with fliers inside the house to help buyers differentiate from all that they’ve seen. But I’ve seen too many thrown at me at my own listing presentation and too little return in terms of calls to believe that the largest percentage of people pulling outside flyers is not the neighbors.

Buyers who maybe don’t want a pool, or don’t want the school district, or wanted all bedrooms down, or is not in their price range. The “right buyers” can view the listing online and determine if the house meets their criteria.

I have sold a few houses when the last 6 years from an open house just not enough to warrant the time and inconvenience to the sellers.

For two, I completely agree that Spaghetti Night marketing is the most effective way to find a buyer. My experience has shown buyers are unpredictable in how they find my properties. Because this is true, I need to find as many options to publicise my listing as possible.

You still haven’t “sold me” on open houses though…