IS A PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE REALLY A GOOD IDEA?

How often do you find yourself thinking, today I am going to open wide our front door and welcome in any stranger off the street? Better yet, I am going to advertise in the paper, and on the internet to see how many strangers I can draw into my home. They can casually walk through my entire home and make themselves privy to the most personal part of my world ...

Having been in the real estate business for quite a few years, personally, I will rarely conduct a public open house. I actually discourage my clients from allowing these for many reasons, typically safety and privacy issues. Many Realtors use a public open house to meet new people and pick up new clients. Others are hopeful for an opportunity to "double pop" the sale, meaning that they will pick up the buyer for the property and earn additional commission. For me, though those opportunities would be nice, I choose safety (for myself and for my clients). Additionally, for me open houses are a very passive way of conducting business; waiting for someone to come to me rather than being out mixing and mingling.

BUT, should a client want public open house, I will absolutely accommodate with several suggestions. I let them know that they can expect their neighbors to come through along with people looking for interior design ideas. The recommendations are made to take down all personal photography, lock up all valuables and put away any prescription medications. For me as the Realtor alone in the home, I let someone know that I am there, and I keep a sign in log though if someone were there for the wrong reasons, they would not include their true name and contact information. I ask several qualifying questions and if I'm not comfortable with the answers, I ask a few more (and then will often make a call to have someone on the other end of my phone). I carry my cell phone with me everywhere and pay very close attention to the people coming into the home. I am grateful to say that to date there have been no issues of any kind on open houses that I have conducted, but do know that there can be.

The article below taken from Manhattan Beach Patch on September 9th (my birthday by the way), shares very specific reasons as to why these public open houses are not a great idea.

MANHATTAN BEACH PATCH Article:
On Aug. 30, a woman reported items missing from her home, including her husband's watch, her camera and a box with her mother's cremated remains. The items were reportedly stolen from the master bedroom during an open house showing of the woman's home on the 400 block of 29th Street.

The woman told police that she and her family did not attend the open house on Aug. 7, but that they currently live there. On Aug. 8, she noticed the items missing.

Police contacted the real estate agent who oversaw the open house. The agent told police that the only suspicious behavior he recalled was two people who had walked in and out of the home "fairly quickly." One of the two people, a woman, spent most of her time in the middle level of the home, where the master bedroom is located, the agent told police.