[Tia Maria]

I've just been to an Open Home where an estate agent got quite aggressive because I wouldn't leave my contact details.

When we first arrived and realised we were going to buy a property I always left my contact details. We're now in a situation where we could stay in our current house or could move if the right property came along, in our case a 4 bed.

So we go to open homes to get a feel for the market as well as to see if we like a particular property. If we don't like the poperty, we don't leave our details and I politely say, "we'll contact you if we're interested.".

This has never been a problem before, but this agent was quite confrontational and I think his manner would have bullied many people into signing.

Does anyone else not leave their details? Anyone else come across this kind of high pressured sales?

Cheers

Tia

[eternalkiwi]

Real Estate firms view the details register as part of their risk management/security systems for the vendor, which could be why the salesperson was rather emphatic about getting your details.
Particularly if they have previously had bad experiences with people at open homes or people who did not leave their details

[willsken]

To me "open home" is just that. People can come in off the street and look around the property. I don't see you should have to give your info out to anyone. Good for you, I hate people who try and bully you into something you don't want to do. :mad:

I went into an agent’s office to get details of houses in certain roads I was happy to live in. All I wanted was details and the estate agent was very very pushy about making appointments to view property there and then (even though I hadn't even seen the details to any of them!) Soon told her where to get off! :yes

[Moorf]

Would you have been more understanding if, instead of being confrontational and aggressive he explained that it's not only for his records but also as a record of people who entered the property. It's MAINLY for their follow-ups but, having held several open homes to sell our old house I certainly wanted to know the details of people who were turning up.

Our agent also made people take their shoes off before entering, despite ours being wooden floors throughout. She explained that while it's not only polite not to go trogging round other peoples homes with your shoes on, it also means she can ensure everyone who went in.. came out.... she told us of an agent who had locked up and left the house and an intruder, who had hidden in a wardrobe, robbed the place.

I also think it puts people off who make a hobby of visiting open homes, purely for a nosey. I personally don't like the things, loads of strangers and alot of neighbours poking around the place... :no

[Moorf]

Would you have been more understanding if, instead of being confrontational and aggressive he explained that it's not only for his records but also as a record of people who entered the property. It's MAINLY for their follow-ups but, having held several open homes to sell our old house I certainly wanted to know the details of people who were turning up.

:no Sorry for the echo!! :uhoh

[Tia Maria]

Yes, it did occur to me that they might be worried about theft etc. But then anyone up to no good would just leave false contact details anyway.

It is also possible for people here to opt for viewings by appointment only, so this would be an option for people who weren't comfortable with the Open Home situation.

I confess I have been to properties that I've been unlikely to buy, but it hasn't been to have a nosey, but to be able to guage the property market.

In this case we were looking at a property on a street we would like to live on, several have come up on this street recently some in budget, some not. The price can vary by as much as $500,000 and we need to know why. Because if a property came up that we did like, we would have to act quickly and feel certain the price was right (one of the other properties got an offer within an hour.).

But I am not actively looking in the sense that I want agents to contact me and I also don't want agents to know too much about my sitution as they can be quite 'sharky' round here.

Cheers

Tia

[Marco]

Sorry, but I do not see the problem.
I can agree with Moorf from the seller's point, since I would like to know who would enter my property on an open home when I - as a seller - would not be around.

On the other hand, I have visited a lot of Open Homes and it is very each - as a foreigner - to say, that you are still moving around and just leave a mobile phone number. The worst thing that happen is that the same day or one day later that real estate agent gives you a ring and ask what you think of the property: you just answer and that's it.

I can't see the problem with that.
Cheers,
Anita

[Tia Maria]

He is the first agent to act this way, so on that basis alone, I'm glad he doesn't have my number!

And as I said before, I don't think as a seller, asking people to give you a name and number, tells you who has entered your property as they can just lie. The agent would really need to get these details before you viewed the property to be able to claim any security value.

Maybe you're right though, maybe I've been watching too many TV programmes about NZ estate agents. I think the one last night was called the School of Home Truths. They all give you the impression that because there is such big money to be made, the estate agent is willing to bully both buyer and seller to get the commission. It highlighted various tactics that could see you $10,000s poorer!

Cheers

Tia

[willowshouse]

Just trying to be a little kind to the agent here -

I think it helps them enormously to be able to say to the vendor - look at the people we had through here today (in terms of convincing them that they are worth their money!?). I do always leave my details even if I'm not interested - I actually find it quite liberating to give them my honest thoughts when they phone me up .. it also usually sparks a discussion which I am genuinely interested in having as the more opinions/info I have, the stronger I feel my position is in making a decision when I find the right property. I say, leave them your details and when they call you get as much info as possible about the property and why they have priced it as they have, what experience they have in the area and if you have a clear idea of what you want (and it isn't the house you viewed) tell them to call you when they have it on their books!

That aside, no-one has the right to be rude to you about your decision .. that's just ....... rude!

Dawn

[sizzlingbadger]

We're selling our house at the moment with Open Homes held most Sundays.

Having now experienced it ourselves from the vendors point of view, I feel very different about them. I no longer want to go sticking beaking at other peoples homes just for the sake of it. We've got an offer in on a house with a one of the conditions stating we have to sell this one before we can get going with other conditions.

I find people that just want to waste time viewing properties for the sake of it get the hopes up of the vendors. I'm not sure why you just can't look on realestate and open2view websites to get an idea. That's the way we've done it as we feel it's unfair nosing around just to get an idea of price when we've got no intention of buying.

[Trigirl]

perhaps if vendors were happier to put a guide price on their properties we wouldn't waste so much time looking round totally unsuitable open homes?

i saw one in the paper that looked great, in the area we wanted to live, but the advert didn't say how much, how big, even how many bedrooms. so we had to go to the open home only to find of course that it was completely unsuitable. now thats extreme and often you can tell a fair bit from open2view but in the end you need to see a lot of properties in a certain price range to get a feel for the market and open homes are the easiest way to do this. so many properties not having guide prices mean we have to look at even more.

if you don't want people to look round then don't open home it. if people have to make an appointment there's more chance they'll only look if they are sure its the right sort of property for them. but on the downside you'll get a lot fewer people looking at it. you can't have your cake and eat it.

[sizzlingbadger]

We have a price on ours yet people still come and look at it only to tell the agent that it's too expensive, too big, too small or that they thought 1/2 acre was easy maintenance ! Or they're just out for a Sunday drive and thought it would be nice to see a couple of open homes even though they have no intention of moving.

If the property doesn't have a guide price or very many details then I tend to ring the agent first as it's a waste of our time as well as the vendors and the agents chasing us up. We usually steer clear of tender properties as it usually means that the owner hasn't a clue of price and neither does the realtor. A few of the properties that we've looked at with no price we've found out the rates for the property and the CV of 2006 or years ago, it can give a good indication of where the property stands.

[stu70]

"Open House" says it all. It is open to viewers at a time chosen by the owner or the agent of the owner. Once you list a property for public, you can't dictate who comes and views it. Now if the viewer chooses not to reveal any personal details to the agent, there is no reason for the agent to get bent out of shape. Se la vie!

[gil]

I'm not sure why you just can't look on realestate and open2view websites to get an idea. That's the way we've done it as we feel it's unfair nosing around just to get an idea of price when we've got no intention of buying.

Hmmmm, a tricky one that highlights the difference between seller and potential buyer. We have visited a few Open Homes recently and once we had been inside, realised the house was actually not what we were expecting from pix and driving by. Some photos don't do justice to the house, as we found yesterday. Others make it look nicer than it is, so the only way to tell and to get a feel for the price is to go to the open home. The feel of a house is impossible to capture on the web or brochures. It may mean you go away thinking "OMG no way!" as we did at one property this weekend, so is that a waste of time? I think not, personally.

"Open House" says it all. It is open to viewers at a time chosen by the owner or the agent of the owner.
"Open" as in "open home" is definitely an interesting one. We used to run "open" training programmes in the UK. That didn't mean anyone could just turn up. It meant you had to book on to the course but it wasn't just for the staff of one company (an "in-house" programme). It was "open" to anyone who wanted to take that course and paid to do so. I.e. you had to book on to it. In my view, there is nothing wrong with the vendor or agent expecting you to register your details. Anyone who's worked in sales will understand the need to follow up on potential leads. And as Dawn says, you can always give a (vigorous) reasoned statement as to why it's not for you.

if you don't want people to look round then don't open home it. if people have to make an appointment there's more chance they'll only look if they are sure its the right sort of property for them. but on the downside you'll get a lot fewer people looking at it. you can't have your cake and eat it.

Quite right! I like the Open Homes here, having tried to set it up in Cardiff before we came out, but the agent couldn't be ...selling anything anywhere is a numbers game though, so Open Homes are one way to increase your exposure to the market.

Er, I'd say, in summary, like Anita&Marco, leave your name and a method of being contacted and be prepared to explain your position (i.e. no ta!!)

Gil

[willsken]

I like the idea of open homes, although I haven't been to any! To me the point is choice. If you went to an open home knowing you would have to leave contact details, then go or not, up to you. What I don't like is the idea you go to one and then at the end of the tour have someone demand your details. I know it's quite childish but it's my name and number and it's up to me if I want to give it out. :p

[gil]

I like the idea of open homes, although I haven't been to any! To me the point is choice. If you went to an open home knowing you would have to leave contact details, then go or not, up to you. What I don't like is the idea you go to one and then at the end of the tour have someone demand your details. I know it's quite childish but it's my name and number and it's up to me if I want to give it out. :p

In our (limited) experience, they ask you as you go in to sign their register, unless there are loads of poeple already in and then they say "oh, have you signed ithe register yet?" It seems to me that it is the accepted thing to sign in as you arrive...
Knowing that, I will happily go to othe open homes in future.

Gil

[Trigirl]

every open home here you leave your details. its not as though it should be a surprise - at least after your first one. normally you are asked on the way in or pointed towards a book somewhere. personally i don't see it as a problem.

sizzlingbadger - as i said - if you don't like people noseying around your house - don't open home it. appointments are more hassle, for you and the agent and the potential vendor but at least you wont have people noseying around. it just depends on your priorities - no one is making you do an open home. and by the way if you steered clear of tender properties round here you'd see well under 50% of the market.

we've just bought ours by making an offer ahead of the tender date on one that had no price listed. seeing other houses similar in price, size, area etc gives you a good idea of what a house is worth (not necessarily the same as what the vendor thinks its worth so helpful even if you are buying one with a price listed!) i believe you can learn a lot about the local market by seeing a lot of open homes and following up with the agent to find out what they sell for - even if you know in advance that some of them aren't suitable.

[Tia Maria]

Gil wrote:

In our (limited) experience, they ask you as you go in to sign their register,

Trigirl wrote:

every open home here you leave your details.

I think this is what confuses me, I originally assumed they would be at the door getting your details before you crossed the threashold, but round here thats not the case. Its more there is a book somewhere in the house.

I've not signed before and its not been a problem with the agent. Also I've seen plenty of other people not sign, which is why I got the impression that you signed the book if you were either interested, or wanted the agent to call you.

And I know some of you will hate me saying this but, its also been very common to have people coming in, saying 'Oh we just live across the street and wanted to have a look.'. No one seems to bat an eye, I'm assuming the agents don't mind as its another possible seller later on, as often one successful sale down a street, leads to a lot more houses on that street going on the market.

It would seem from what people on this thread are saying, the open home experience does differ from area to area and maybe also differs depending on whether its a sellers or buyers market.

Perhaps there is a book on 'Open Homes Etiquette', or maybe one of our New Zealand posters could enlighten us!

For what its worth, I don't think he wanted my details because he wanted to report back to the vendor, but because he wanted to contact us about other properties he'd been talking about.

Cheers

Tia

[willsken]

In our (limited) experience, they ask you as you go in to sign their register, unless there are loads of poeple already in and then they say "oh, have you signed ithe register yet?" It seems to me that it is the accepted thing to sign in as you arrive...

Gil

If that were the case I would have a choice... So I'd be happy! :D

But from what Tia Maria said for her this wasn't the case. So, not good and the comment about the agent probably wanting to pass on other property details sounds about spot on to me. :uhoh

[willowshouse]

I have now read SEVERAL books on buying real estate over here and they all say that Open Homes do not sell houses .. they just provide the Real Estate agent with leads for new instructions.

Scenario One - I live over the road, I am a sticky-beak and I also want to sell my house

Scenario Two - I am going to sell my house and buy another to live in (but not this one!)

Dawn

[willsken]

:laugh

[jen]

We've been going to Open Homes to try to get a feel for the market even though we're not ready to buy just yet - I'd thought that we're being less disruptive to the owners than by arranging a viewing since we don't want them to have to clean up & leave on our account when we're not serious yet. We sometimes sign the books & sometimes don't; haven't had any problems either with agents insisting on it or calling us up and hassling us after.

I agree you can't get a good enough impression from the online photos. We went to one last week-end that looked like a beautiful character villa - couldn't tell till we got there it was also across the street from a very large ugly apartment building and when we walked in the front two rooms smelled AWFUL from damp or lord knows what! We left feeling it was terribly overpriced & if it sells we'll follow up to see what it went for which should be helpful info for us.

I've read the same things about Open Homes not selling houses - I would tend to agree, though we had ours in the states open often figuring 'can't hurt, might help' and in fact the buyers we got offered after coming to a couple of our open home days. Maybe we're the exception, though.

Jen