March 28, 2008
Open House Countdown 3-29-2008
Top Ten Reasons NOT to Visit Open Houses
You have more important things to do, don’t you?
- Wash the cars.
- Visit the inlaws.
- Get income tax documents together.
- Mow the lawn.
- Take dog for nail trim.
- Watch reruns of The Simpsons.
- Begin new fitness regimen.
- Fix that dripping faucet.
- Catch up on all the office paperwork.
- Take the kids for a haircut.
Yes, of course, you’d much rather do those things than snoop around someone else’s house, wouldn’t you!
|
These cold facts and figures are just that. There’s nothing like going there, seeing, touching and smelling those houses. Indulging in a little fantasy about your possible future. Go ahead, do it!
[data from generally reliable sources, please comment on any errors!]
Rob said:
You forgot the best reason of all to avoid these open houses: OVERPRICED! Some agents/sellers still think we’re in a boom and are trying to command frenzy prices for their homes. $590 for a 2 bedroom in La Mesa? And that’s a SHORT sale? Who in their right mind lent $600k+ on this place? Puh-lease people. Oh, let me just bail you out of your crappy $400k cash-out re-fi. I mean… sure, it looks like an above average place, but when are people going to realize that the bubble has burst and come down to earth? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
March 31, 2008 11:14 AM
Tom Swell said:
Good point Rob.
However, as you can see most of the open houses are newer listings and higher priced homes. This is common. New listings always seem to have ‘hopeful’ pricing and become more realistic with time. Lower priced homes are rarely opened this way. Realtor school probably perpetuates these standards, and Realtors are not particularly adventurous in their marketing innovation.
March 31, 2008 1:16 PM