Open Your Doors and Close Your Drawers

Realtors that are holding open houses should be vigilant of a man in search of prescription pills according to Northern Virginia Association of Realtors.

Members are cautioned to advise their seller clients to remove all jewelry,
valuables and prescription drugs from their homes and to double check cabinets
and drawers for those items prior to Open Houses.

This past weekend, two local Realtors® hosted a Fairfax County Open House
and observed suspicious behavior by a visitor. One of the agents remembered this
house hunter from a past Open House where prescription drugs were stolen. He
observed the person looking into the medicine cabinets after requesting to be
alone in the bathroom “to make a call.”The alleged suspect is a white male,
about 5'11", approximately 180 lbs., with light-colored hair, shoulder-length in
back. His vehicle was a late model F150 royal blue pick-up truck, with “4 x
4” in white letters on the back end.

Should you come across this person, it is advised that you do not attempt a confrontation. Please call police authorities immediately.

Quick Tips for Showing Your Home

Home Sellers,
While showing your home, whether by appointment or while holding an open house, keep these tips in mind:

* Clean and de-clutter your home (of course)
* Turn on all lights (including halls, bathrooms, stairwells...)
* Open all window coverings (natural light is important)
* Put soft classical or jazz music on stereo
* Clear off kitchen or bathroom counters
* Don't leave dishes in sink
* Close the toilet seats
* Put some fresh flowers outside the front door and on the kitchen table
* Ensure the temperature is comfortable (a house that's too hot or too cold will usher out buyers quickly)
* Remove the cat box from the house
* Put some potpourri out or use air fresheners

Remember, on the day of a showing it's the little things that count. Do things that will be pleasing to the senses of a potential buyer. You want to brighten rooms to help their sight and provide pleasant smells and sounds.

Real Estate Tidbits

The Mike Webb Team: http://www.northernvirginiahouses.com/

Should I Cancel an Open House due to Bad Weather?

In bad weather, you should probably expect to see less people come by to view an open house. Depending on the weather you might not see anyone. Does this mean you should cancel the open house you had planned? No way.

Last winter, Devon and Nick McConnell were holding an open house for the one-bedroom co-op they shared on West End Avenue in Manhattan. There just happened to be a blizzard in NYC that day. Their broker told them not to cancel. "You don't have tire-kickers coming out in a blizzard. They are serious shoppers." They sold for $435,000; $36,000 more than their asking price.

Never cancel an open house already scheduled because of mother nature. You never know what or who you'll miss.

The Walk-Through (New York Times)

The Mike Webb Team: http://www.northernvirginiahouses.com/

Open House controversy

Having been in the Real Estate business full time since 1992, I have heard it all about whether Open houses work to actually sell houses. My Opinion has not changed over the years, the fact is that Open houses do work to sell houses. Find an agent that says Open houses don't work and you will find an agent that does not like to hold Open Houses. Its just that simple. I was talking to a Realtor a few days ago, (one of my colleagues) and we were brain storming about how to increase business in this market. He told me his wife actually said to him that because he has been in the business over 20 years that he should be at the point that he does not have to work weekends any more. I could not believe it, that is like telling a veteran surgeon that he does not have to spend any more time in the hospital. Realtors work nights and weekends, and that includes doing Open Houses on Sunday, of the 52 weeks in a year we do Opens at least 45 of those weekends. I have met so many Realtors over the years that struggle with the nights and weekends hours and I always wonder why they even bother to get in our business.

We had three Open houses this past weekend and had an average of 15 groups through each open house. So far none of them have sold as a direct result of the Open house, however the previous two weekends we had an average of 3 Opens also and two of those houses did sell one of which we sold ourselves. One of the best reasons to do Open Houses is to get feed back from the market place (buyers) as to the condition, price etc. on that house. The seller always appreciates direct feedback from the buyers. Don't get me wrong Open houses are not the cure all for selling houses, but it is one of about 10-15 different ways we market listings. Give me a call to discuss the rest. If your a Realtor out there struggling with the weekend schedule, just get over it, plan on working those two days and taking the other five off. That would be better than trying to take the weekend off. Happy House Hunting and Happy egg hunting.