Yesterday I held a Realtor Open House in a popular Brandon MS neighborhood (Crossgates). Several Realtors combined efforts to open our listings for two hours to let agents tour the properties, have lunch, and register for door prizes. A preferred lender sponsored my door prize and accompanied me to the open house.
About 30 minutes into the open house, there was a loud, persistent knock at the door. When I answered, a REAL LIVE PROSPECT asked if he could look at the home. I explained it was for Realtors only, and asked if he could schedule an appointment to return later.
Are you kidding me? ha!
I welcomed him inside to take a look and proceeded to show him the property.
He appeared genuinely impressed and we exchanged contact information, He mentioned he would need to sell his current home, and he was interested in knowing what his payments would be on the new house.
I could have given him an approximate figure, but as luck would have it, my lender was on-site to answer his questions.
The day could not have turned out better. Mr. Prospect and his wife have made arrangements to tour the home again this weekend, and his current home, a 3 BR/2 Bath, 1300 square foot home should sell quickly if priced right.
Since most of us have war stories about how disastrous Open Houses can be, I thought I would share this success story with you.
I will keep you posted.
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Pat Starnes, a Realtor since 1988, specializes in Mississippi Residential Real Estate and can assist you with buying or selling in the Jackson MS Metro area. 
Search homes for sale in Brandon, Pearl, Flowood, Madison, Ridgeland, Florence, Bryam, or Jackson, MS.
Written and Published by Pat Starnes REALTOR
McIntosh and Assoc., LLC434 Katherine DriveFlowood, MS 39232601-278-4513 - cell601-936-2007 - office
Written and Published by Pat Starnes REALTOR
Pat Starnes, a Realtor since 1988, specializes in Mississippi Residential Real Estate and can assist you with buying or selling in the Jackson MS Metro area.
Areas of service: Brandon, Pearl, Ridgeland, and the Ross Barnett Reservoir area
Search all available homes in the Jackson MS MLS
Pat Starnes, Broker; Pat Starnes Real Estate, 300 Castlewoods Blvd., Brandon, MS 39047; 601-278-4513 - Cell
How cool is that, Pat! How did he know it was open?
Hi Pat,
I'm not that crazy about doing open houses as many of them that I've done had no people come at all. Reading your story kind of giving me some hope again.
Thanks for the post and good luck to you.
Heather: I asked him the same question, but I had placed a generic Open House sign at the end of the street, and that's how he found me. It was very cool to have a prospect show up.
Irena, Like you, I am not wild about having Open Houses either, but Crossgates is a large community in a popular school district, so I expected to have a good Realtor turn-out. Serving food doesn't hurt either! As a general rule, I'll only do an open house if it's in a highly visible location and the price is right, or if the property has some unique feature or quality that makes it stand out. Thank you for visiting.
Congrats on your successful open house! I typically sponser several Realtor opens and have never know that to happen. I hope you are able to sell their home quickly!
Wow, congratulations on your success, Pat. I always welcome prospects who occasionally turn up for realtor opens, and I will feed them lunch, too if they want it!
By the way, we are nearly neighbors - Mississippi - Alabama and my broker is from your neck of the woods - Madison! And my latest clients have just sold their home in Madison and are relocating here to Fairhope!
Again, congratulations on your brilliant flexibililty.
Congrat's Pat that's what I like to hear!
That's fabulous! I have to admit I was about to scream until I got to HA. Hope it works out to be two sales for you.
Pat - That's great news! I know many agents don't enjoy Open Houses, but I've always rather liked them. And, I've been fortunate enough to see many of the houses sell as a result of an Open House.
Darrell: It was quite a surprise to have a "real buyer" show up at a Realtor's Open House. I spent the afternoon with he & his wife yesterday, looking at properties and viewing their home. We appreciate lenders like you who graciously sponsor our Open Houses.
Dedra, nice to meet you! If you have any other clients relocating from my area to yours, let's do a referral! I love Fairhope and the great places you have to shop!
Jeffrey, you should have seen the other Realtor's expressions when I told them about the prospect. They were stunned, too!
Tammy, thanks for reading all the way to the end! I thought my comment about turning a buyer away would get a little attention. :)
Myrl, you may be the exception to the rule regarding Open Houses, as most agents aren't as successful as you are with them, but I am glad I participated in this one.
I am a contrarian and like open houses. I have had more people who were "just driving by" or "out having lunch" visit, refer business and even purchase. Good luck - it sounds like you have a live one.
Pat, That's GREAT! Good for you for letting the buyer have a tour. I hope he buys your listing and you get his sold asap! Call me crazy, but I have had great luck with opens. I always love the Realtor opens to get everyones opinions.
Pat, great news! I've never had anyone show up at an open house here in NC. Congrats on some success.
The neighborhood receives a lot of traffic for open houses, and I was in the right place at the right time. I am listing the "drop by prospects" home next week, once they have it prepped for the market.