Ask a crowd of real estate agents if they think open houses are worth the time and hassle, and you’ll get plenty of arguments for and against the event. A lot has been written online about the subject as it relates to agents, but what about sellers? Should they bother with the open house?
Is the Open House Worth It?
Well, I read a post on KRDO.com (website for a Colorado Springs, CO radio station) titled “Thieves Target Open House Shows” that warns homeowners about being targeted by thieves for burglary. Police in Colorado Springs, CO reported that a man and a woman were showing up at such events and stealing jewelery.
They arrested a woman by the name of Elizabeth Craig for Felony Theft. A man named Sean Spears was also arrested for unrelated charges, although he is suspected to have had a hand in the burglaries. So, are open houses worth it? No, I don’t think they are.
Naturally, authorities are advising homeowners to hide their valuables while the house is being exposed to strangers, but is it worth all the trouble? Only a very small percentage of homes in the U.S. sell via the open house. So why should the seller bother going through the hassle of hiding everything on Sunday afternoon? It just doesn’t make any sense.
Watch Out For Thieves During An Open House!
It’s easy for anybody to walk in the house do some scoping around and plan for later. In fact, it’s believed by police that thieves act in pairs and will make at least two stops at the open house. The first time to take notes and the second to rob the place while a cohort distracts the real estate agent.
Thieves may also decide to wait until the homeowners are away before they come back and steal every valuable item they can get their hands on. Or worse, they could break into the home in the middle of the night while the owners are present. It’s just too risky.
Some real estate agents don’t mind doing open houses because even though they won’t see a sale in the majority of cases, the event still offers an opportunity to mine for business. While I can appreciate the go-getter mentality, mining for business is not worth jeopardizing the safety of others.
Agents themselves are not immune to being robbed. There has been numerous news reports about real estate agents having been assaulted and robbed during open houses. A number of real estate agents have been raped. In some states, there has even been talk about banning open houses altogether due to concerns with regard to the safety of agents.
Open houses can be hazardous to the health of homeowners. I understand that we live in a somewhat dangerous world, and that people need to go about their business and not cower to fear, but given the dismal conversion rate of open houses, the reward (or lack thereof) is just not worth the risk. In today’s world of the blogosphere, social media, and other online marketing avenues, there’s no reason for agents to put the safety of sellers as well as their own in jeopardy.
Article provided by Allison Klein who sells Real Estate Fort Collins and surrounding areas including Windsor CO real estate and Loveland CO real estate. Visit her site for more information about buying homes in the Fort Collins area.
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