An open house in January; are you crazy? That's what my seller at the new listing in Kemptville said to me last week when I suggested an open house this weekend. And yes, I am hosting an open house and no, I'm not crazy.
As part of a detailed, results oriented marketing plan, hosting an open house on Sunday, January 22nd makes perfect sense.
In the Ottawa area, our "spring" market starts in January, with the strength of the market impacted by weather to a large degree. Buyers who are actively looking at this time of year will typically want to move in the March to June time frame. So an open house at this time of year is the perfect opportunity to expose your home to spring buyers who are ready, willing and able to move within the next four months. It is also a good way to introduce your home to any buyers who are doing preliminary home research, (seeing what type of property is available in different price points) and who may have a longer buying cycle projection; say within the next 4 to 6 months.
So why the 22nd of January? Well, the following weekend of the 28th finds the Ottawa area reveling in the NHL All-Star game being hosted at Scotiabank Place. There are quite a few events planned for the weekend and although not everyone is interested in hockey, it still impacts the number of potential buyers visiting open houses. The weekend after the all-star game finds sports fans glued to the big screen for the big game: the 2012 Super Bowl. Lots of home parties, pre-game coverage and typically a very slow day for open houses.
So, unless you want to wait until mid-February to have a great chance for a well attended open house, this weekend is the perfect opportunity to show your home to active buyers. And if you want to visit a beautiful, 3 bedroom, 2 full baths back split, built in 2010 and loaded with builder upgrades; drop by 40 Tamarack Circle in Glengables Village in Kemptville. I'll be there, will you?
Open House (Sun, Jan 22nd, 2-4 pm) Directions: HWY 416 to Hwy 43 exit. Take #43 West to Kemptville. 4km past the 3rd roundabout, turn onto Meadow Glen Circle (large sign for Glengables Village). Follow Meadow Glen Circle to Hemlock Rd. Right onto Tamarack