Real estate agents Doug and Annette Bohannon don’t do open houses.
“They don’t work,” Annette Bohannon says bluntly.
Others agree with her. Surveys have shown that few homes are actually sold through the traditional open houses, which tend to attract casual browsers and curious neighbors rather than serious shoppers.
Yet most agents continue to have sellers spruce up their houses then disappear for several hours on weekend afternoons while they show off the house to whomever may drop by.
That is because most sellers expect open houses, taking them as a sign of their agent’s diligence. Besides, most agents haven’t come up with a good alternative.
The Bohannons think they have a better method. They call it the Sunday Tour of Homes.
Instead of dedicating a whole afternoon to one open house, the Bohannons schedule a blitzkrieg of open houses at six or more homes, with each house open for only 10 minutes.
In the amount of time it takes most agents to hold one open house, the Bohannons can take potential buyers through six or more.
The week before the Sunday afternoon tours, the Bohannons pass out fliers with pictures and the particulars of each house for sale. Buyers can go from house to house, or choose to visit one or two.
The Bohannons have been doing the quick tours for two months, and she says it is too early to tell how successful they are. Still, she said she has sold some houses from the tours.
“It’s been amazing,” Annette Bohannon said. “It’s been well-received by both the sellers and the buyers.”
Sellers like the quick tours because they only have to be gone for a short amount of time. Buyers like them because they can see a lot of homes in a short amount of time, she said.
When the time at a particular home is up, she shuts off the lights, turns on the alarm system, locks the door and jumps into her pearl-colored Infinity for a fast trip to the next house.
On a recent Sunday, Bohannon showed nine homes in two hours and 15 minutes. They ranged in price from $125,000 to $619,900.
The pace suited Joya and Wajed Salam just fine. The couple has just started looking for a new home and they wanted to get an idea about what is available in different price ranges without making any commitments.
“That is the way we like it,” Wajed Salam said.
