The open house, a long standing tradition for marketing and selling a home, or a total waste of time? It’s actually a pretty controversial subject among Realtors. Some believe in them and others refuse to do them. I fall into the first category. I hold open a house pretty much every Sunday and some Sundays I will do a couple of open houses. I make a commitment to people who list their homes with me that I will promise one advertised open per month, at a minimum. I will do more if my time allows. This commitment keeps me pretty busy. It means that I do LOTS of open houses. And that is probably why I think that they work.
I would estimate that I sell one house per year that is directly a result of my open house efforts. In June I had an offer written by another Realtor after her clients found my listing at an open house. That open house was how I sold my listing. Last Sunday I had an open house and I am now in very strong verbal discussions with another Realtor, again because his buyer came through my open.
Please note that I said that I do “Advertised” opens. Sure, I like meeting the neighbors, but I want people coming through who already know the price, how many bedrooms there are, and are actually buyers who are wanting a new home. I think advertising is one reason that my opens are successful. While I used to do a newspaper ad with each open, I have shifted my marketing to the Internet. I advertise my open houses on Craigslist, on the RMLS, and when the house is in Lake Oswego, on the propertyblotter.
Let’ s put it this way. If I didn’t believe in open houses, I’d never do them, right? And then it is a no brainer that I could honestly say that they don’t work. How can something work that is never tried?
I also feel that in this economy, Realtors have to go back to basics. In a hot market, where homes are selling quickly, homes will sell with just some simple Internet exposure in the RMLS. In a slow market that is not enough. There are so many houses for sale, and so few buyers, that just being a part of the inventory is not enough. A Realtor has to use every possible tool to get exposure for a proprety. I owe it to my clients to work on their behalf and use all of the tools in my arsenal. And, as I have stated above, I know from experience that open houses work.
Watch for my signs. I’ll see you on Sunday!
Dianne
I have a very great fondness for the 
This subject is leading me to a little bit of Oregon history. As you drive around the metro area you’ll see quite a few roads that feature the word ferry in their name: Taylor’s Ferry Rd, Graham’s Ferry Rd, Scholls Ferry Rd. And here in Lake Oswego, Boones Ferry Rd is one of the major streets in town. These roads were conveniently named to lead travelers back in the days before we had bridges across the Willamette River to the many ferries that aided with these crossings. Boones Ferry Road led to the Boones Ferry, which was located where what is now Boones Bridge in Wilsonville (actually the current location of the Boones Bridge across I-5). Boones Ferry was operated by Alphonso Boone, a grandson of Daniel Boone.
If you have been reading the Propertyblotter for awhile, you know that I am a big supporter of the annual Race for the Cure. I am now a 2-year breast cancer survivor. It’s a club I never wanted to join, but now that I’m in it, I’m doing whatever I can to keep other women (and men too) from having to join.
Breast cancer will strike one in 8 women in her lifetime. My great-grandmother died of breast cancer in 1929, at the age of 48, the same age that I was when I got my diagnosis. Luckily for me, in the 80 years since my great-grandmother died, thousands of people have put time and money into education and finding a cure. I see it as my duty to pay that forward so that future generations don’t have to live in the shadow of this terrible disease.
Even more than inviting you to walk with me, I would like to ask you to consider making a donation. It is such a worthwhile cause. $77 pays for one un-insured or under-insured woman to get a mammogram.
Here in Lake Oswego we are blessed with the long, warm days of summer that come on the heals of the misty and rainy days of May and June. The combination, along with personal commitment to gardening, leads to a rich bounty that is currently at its abundant peak. I don’t know of a better place to see this, in all of its glory, than at the community garden at Luscher Farm.
The community garden is just one part of Luscher Farm, but it is a high-light, for sure.
If you are not a returning gardener, but would like to have a garden plot next summer, I recommend that you call the City of Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department on December 1st to find out the date and time that the plots will be distributed. In the past they were given out on a first-come-first-served basis and all plots were gone within an hour or two of being offered. This year they are considering a lottery system, but that decision has not been made. The phone number for Parks and Recreation at the City of Lake Oswego is 503-697-6500.
Luscher Farm is also home to the 
your good health. In the summer shareholders pick up the bounty of the crops on a weekly basis. In the late fall through early spring it is less frequent, but it still happens. I visited the wesite for 47th Avenue Farms and found discriptions of various share options, but no specific pricing. I would imagine that next year’s membership is still being formulated. There is a link to a waiting list as well as for e-mailing to get information. The website is 
This Sunday there are currently 25 houses scheduled in the RMLS to be held open, including my listing at 13638 SW 62nd in Southwood Park. It’s a big, family home with 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, and 2 family rooms for just $319,900. Yes, it does need some cosmetic updating, but it has a newer 50 year roof, new windows, and new paint in and out. I’ll be there from noon to 3pm. I’d love to have you stop by. Look for my signs on Westlake Dr and Southwood Dr and follow them in to SW 62nd.