Open house or house party?

If you’re looking for a house to buy you generally have an idea of what you’re after. The houses I’ve done a quick in and out, barely looking are the ones that don’t meet requirements, which is clear pretty quickly. Last time I looked at something like 50 houses before finding one that was the compromise and made an offer before the open house ended. Too many agents misrepresent property features so it wastes potential buyers time in visiting places that aren’t what they purport to be, eg having an archway does not make separate lounge and family rooms.

Alas renters,

Your wishes/desires will always play second fiddle to the wishes of RE agents and prospective buyers. Not saying that it’s the right thing That happens, but the State Real Estate Institues have all the clout & connections and your needs are a distant second to theirs….

rosscoact said :

Worst thing is when they take away the toilet brushes, I guess they are hoping to make the place look more Vogue. Unfortunately, well, you know where this is heading

If it were me I would remove the toilet paper too, to deter strangers from taking a huge liberty with my toilet bowl that would require a toilet brush.

tooltime said :

A good agent never does open houses, they screen buyers before showing properties. From property guru Neil Jenman:

“Do you ever leave your front door open and allow strangers to wander through your home? Of course not. It would be madness. Anyone might come through.

This is exactly what happens when your agent holds your home open for inspection. Anyone is invited to just march up to your front door and wander through your home. They walk through your lounge room, they go into your bedrooms and they open cupboards. Total strangers intruding into the heart of your personal world. This is very dangerous.
.

Although what Jenman says is relevant it isn’t the total picture. Open houses are a risk and shouldn’t be overused, however I don’t want agents pestering me about houses I have no interest in and an open house is a quick and easy way for me to rule a house in or out of my shortlist – so I like them. I can then make a private appointment with the agent if I want a better look without the crowd.

for tenants it is painful as they have no investment in the process and it can be disruptive. I always ask my agents to be respectful and reasonable with the tenants while trying to sell as I don’t want a good tenant to leave either.

I have sold through a Jenman recognised company and as nice as the agent was I wouldn’t choose that method again – it severely limits the number of interested people in the property and I found I didn’t get as much competativeness between buyers, resulting in low ball offers. The next sale 6 months later was a much better price point for exactly the same property with a different agent in a similar market – which means either my sales person was hopeless or the lack of open showing of the house affected the final sale price. Not scientific proof in any way as just one example but I wouldn’t use the non-open house method again.

A good agent never does open houses, they screen buyers before showing properties. From property guru Neil Jenman:

“Do you ever leave your front door open and allow strangers to wander through your home? Of course not. It would be madness. Anyone might come through.

This is exactly what happens when your agent holds your home open for inspection. Anyone is invited to just march up to your front door and wander through your home. They walk through your lounge room, they go into your bedrooms and they open cupboards. Total strangers intruding into the heart of your personal world. This is very dangerous.

Your local video store will not rent a $10 movie without identification, yet all over Australia, anyone can walk into any family home and agents barely notice. Agents will even tell complete strangers how alarm systems operate.

Just because your home is for sale, it doesn’t mean you have to place your safety at risk. It is your home. You have a right to know who enters it.

When selling, the only people who should inspect your home are people who are likely to buy it. You want buyers, not burglars. And the only way to know if a person is a buyer or a burglar is to identify them before they enter your home. It is very hard to do this with a sign on the street saying “Open For Inspection”.

Do not underestimate how serious this is. Neighbourhood Watch advise, “When your home is open for inspection, your valuables, are also open for inspection.”

Ask at your local Police Station or ask your insurance company. They know the dangers, that is why your home is usually not insured when open for inspection.”

Theres been a few enterprising criminal gangs in Sydney doing the rounds of open homes. Artwork, jewelry, even clothing disappearing – and the police can’t do a thing about this type of theft. If you must have an open house, check with your insurer if your contents policy covers this situation.

Worst thing is when they take away the toilet brushes, I guess they are hoping to make the place look more Vogue. Unfortunately, well, you know where this is heading

Its slightly off topic, but wondering if you are selling your property (or are unlucky enough to be a tenant subjected to endless invasive open houses and freaked out by creepy creeps) is it legal to have cameras filming people? Im guessing its not. But if others can come through your house unaccompanied and without showing id surely its some protection?

I should have said in my last entry, that when I bought my first house, I walked through the house, looked outside and then turned to the owners and said, “I’ll take this, as long as the building inspection comes back okay.” My decision was made in less than half an hour.
My second house was bought at auction. I probably looked at it a couple of times, decided it suited the purpose (good land orientation for future redevelopment, no large trees on the neighbouring northern block, etc and suitable to rent meanwhile). The house passed a building inspection and I turned up at auction and purchased it.

I’ve never taken photographs when looking at a house with intentions to buy, but I do check out things that effect the energy efficiency of a house, starting with a compass to find the house’s/block of land’s orientation. I actually like empty houses, because I can better imagine how colours and furniture and other decor will fit. But talking to an agent once, apparently many people lack this ability. An empty house also reveals defects better.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

chewy14 said :

Reasons I’ve gone to open homes previously:
…
-crime

You like to steal the residents’ stuff?

Sweet, you can do that? I need a new lawnmower, open houses here I come