So, you’ve finally put your house on the market, and your Realtor has decided to have an open house. You have mixed feelings about it — you’re just not crazy about having a bunch of strangers traipsing through your home, touching your stuff.
Yet checking out several open houses is an ideal way for buyers to “dip their toes,” into the local housing market, say the experts at RE/MAX. But when it comes to selling homes, some brokers love open houses, while others, not so much.
Although the temps outside are still scorching, the fall market is actually right around the corner, and between now and then, you’re sure to see plenty of open houses. There are lots of horror stories (and some funny ones, too) out there from real estate agents, the homeowner, and Mr. and Mrs. Buyer about strange situations that can arise during an open house.
Tales of sex toys turning on in the midst of a walk-through; people stealing; potential buyers walking in on people using the bathroom; open boxes of rat poison; piles of dirty dishes and laundry; full kitty litter boxes; bedrooms plastered with pictures of naked women; mousetraps complete with dead mice; dog poop.
Shall I go on? I’m sure you get the picture.
Realtor Roz Byrne of RE/MAX in the village in Oak Park has never had any problems with theft or anything particularly hair-raising at an open house, but she has faced other challenges.
“At one of my open houses, a woman attended with her four children and seriously allowed them to jump up and down on the seller’s couches in the living room,” recalled Byrne. “I looked at her with my mouth open in shock, and she did nothing, so I had to tell them to stop.”
But no matter what the situation, open houses can offer plenty of useful information to homebuyers. Yet are they as useful to the agent as to the buyer?
“In 15 years, I’ve only had two instances where someone came to the home for the first time on an open house and actually bought the property,” said Byrne. “What open houses can be good for is giving a buyer a chance to take a second look at a property. Maybe they’ve seen it with their agent and circle back for another look on Sunday during the open house.”
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Just the fact that buyers see other potential buyers looking at the house at the same time can sometimes create urgency through the illusion of competition, said Byrne.
“But in general, Realtors use open houses to find unrepresented buyers who often end up buying another home,” said Byrne.
While everyone is welcome at an open house, there is correct etiquette for attending one. Here’s a brief list of open house tips, courtesy of the folks at RE/MAX.
1. Don’t just walk in unless the home is clearly marked as an open house. Knock or ring the bell if you don’t see an open house sign.
2. Once inside, if no one greets you immediately, walk through the house toward the kitchen and look for the broker who is hosting the event.
3. If you don’t find the broker, look for a sign-in sheet, and use it. If you’re working with a broker who isn’t with you, include that information on the sign-in sheet.
4. Ask the hosting broker if it is OK for you to walk through the home on your own. That is usually the case, but occasionally, a homeowner will insist that all visitors be escorted.
5. Unless indicated otherwise, feel free to go into every room in the house, turn on lights and even open the closets to assess storage capacity. However, respect the privacy of the homeowner. Don’t open drawers or inspect personal possessions.
6. If you want to see how a fixture operates, such as the furnace, shower or hot tub, ask permission first. However, it’s OK to turn on a sink faucet if you want to check the water pressure.
You may also want to think twice about bringing little ones to an open house, where they could possibly break something or be distracting or run and jump around like children like to do, as Byrne has learned. And please, leave the hot, spillable coffee and crumb-making doughnuts, as well as your rambunctious dog Fido, out in the car.
Felicia Dechter is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.