Sundays can be the busiest day of the week in the life of a Realtor.  It’s open house day where we load our arms full of information about the home, the neighborhood, free pens and notepads, a guest register, and maybe a good book to read.

I’ve had open houses where people stream through almost constantly.  Others have been so slow that I’d welcome the company of a Lookie-Lou, typically a nosey neighbor who says, "My friend aunt mother cousin is thinking about moving here and I said I’d look for them him her."  Folks, we know you really like going through homes checking out the decor, satisfying your curiousity.

Open houses can work.  They can attract buyers, introducing them to a home while it’s in pristine condition – hopefully with cookies and cold, bottled water!  In New York, open houses are planned around a pickle festival for people to stop by on their way to those festivities.  Some agents are really stepping it up to allow potential buyers to see a dozen open houses in one day.  In San Francisco, Luba has been telling people to map out the homes and use public transportation – called HopStop.

If you go to an open house without your Realtor, be sure to tell the agent on site that you are working someone else.  As pointed out in this post, most agents are very honest and will be respect the relationship you have with your agent.  If they don’t, then it could get sticky.  Don’t be bullied into signing on with an agent on site, but if you aren’t working with someone it’s okay to do so if you feel comfortable and confident with that agent.

And if you just don’t want to get out and physically tour all those open houses, you can always kick back, log on to your computer, and with just a few click, go online to tour!