Why I Host Open Houses During the Week

Drive around Middle Tennessee on a Saturday and you'll see the signs everywhere. Open house, 2 to 4. Everybody knows the rhythm. Weekends are when most folks have time to look.

Looking and buying are two different things.

I still do weekend open houses sometimes. They have their place. But when my job is to sell the house that's on the market right now, a Tuesday morning does more for my seller than a Sunday afternoon.

Weekend open houses bring browsers

A Saturday open house pulls a crowd. Neighbors who always wondered what the inside looks like. Couples out running errands who saw the sign. People six months away from being ready. Folks having a nice afternoon.

I like those people. I've built relationships with a lot of them. Some became clients a year later. A weekend open house is a good place to meet future business.

When a seller needs a contract, meeting future business isn't the job.

Ask somebody to take time out of a Tuesday morning and you've asked them to make a choice. They have to move something. They have to want it. The person who shows up at 10 on a weekday is almost always in the market right now. Usually they've already seen the listing, run the numbers, and talked to a lender.

Fewer people come. Better people come. I'll take that trade.

The agents show up

This might be the biggest reason of all.

Weekday mornings are when agents preview houses. That's when they're scouting for their buyers. That's when they're not tied up with showings and closings. Host at 10 on a Tuesday and agents will walk through your door. Agents with a buyer in mind. Agents who will go back to the office and mention your kitchen.

On a Saturday afternoon those same agents are out with their own clients. They're busy.

Every agent who walks a listing becomes somebody who can sell it. That reach beats a headcount at the door.

You can actually talk

There's a practical side too. When forty people move through a house in two hours, I'm a greeter. I point out the powder room and hand out flyers.

When six people come through on a Tuesday morning, I can help them. I can walk somebody through the survey and the plat. I can explain what the acreage allows, what the zoning says, what the taxes run, what got rebuilt and when, where the lot lines fall. Those are the questions that decide whether somebody writes an offer.

With acreage and estate properties, those conversations do the work. A house on land rarely sells off a floor plan. It sells because somebody stood in the yard and explained what you're buying.

The light is better in the morning too. I'd rather show a house at 10 than at 3 with everybody squinting.

If you're selling

You'll see me schedule weekday openings. Now you know why. I'm not avoiding the weekend. I'm putting your property in front of people who can buy it and agents who can bring a buyer. Those folks are free on Tuesday morning.

You'll also notice I book several short windows instead of one long one. That's on purpose. A tight hour respects everybody's morning. It also gives your house more chances to be seen. Every date is another reason for me to put your property in front of people. Another announcement. Another reminder. Another round of attention. One Saturday afternoon is one moment. Four weekday hours across two weeks is four.

Sometimes we do both. Some properties call for a big Saturday push. But I'd rather have eight serious walk-throughs than eighty polite ones.

If you're buying

Come on a weekday.

You'll get my full attention. You'll get answers instead of a flyer. Nobody will be crowding you. You'll have room to stand in a kitchen for ten minutes and picture your life in it. That's how people decide on a house.

Coming up: Open houses at 1411 Fairview Dr in Mount Juliet on Tuesday, September 1 and Thursday, September 3, both from 10 to 11 AM. Four bedrooms, four baths, 4,538 square feet on 5.2 acres with no HOA. Come see it. Bring your questions.

Jennifer Davis is a Realtor and Auctioneer with Compass RE. She works with farms, rural acreage, and estate properties across Middle Tennessee. Call her at 971-400-6420.