What to do without Open Houses – Rebecca Rehberg, Your Partner in Ventura County Real Estate

Inconvenient, but Doable!

Gone, at least for the time being, is the option to spend a weekend afternoon browsing local Open Houses. This has historically been the most convenient way for interested buyers to preview a home in person and then determine whether it was worth further consideration. But it was also a way for future buyers, still early in their process, to get a sense of what they might like in a home should they decide to take that next step.

For sellers, this is an obstacle as well. What seller would not want to get as much exposure for their home as possible? But at the same time, with this deadly pandemic lurking around, how comfortable can they feel having scores of strangers coming through their homes even with the current protective guidelines in place? Many are also reluctant to have “shoppers” in the early stages of their process trying to frame up their future wants and needs. They prefer to minimize traffic for safety concerns by limiting previewers to serious buyers only.

You can still see a home in person, but it most cases only with a realtor to ensure all established safety guidelines are being followed. This means you will need an appointment.

Fortunately, we live in a digital time that provides us with options other than personally previewing a home. But we all know, it isn’t the same.

So, this is how it works now, and this is how we can help!

Just as before, most prospective buyers will begin their home search online. The most convenient means of doing this is on one of the public sites such as Zillow, Trulia, etc. But you are in luck. You have found us, and you can do anything here that you can on a public sight, but at the same time have access to so much more. If you see something that you would like more information about, call or send us a note. As opposed to a public site you are not at risk of being barraged by calls from multiple realtors who have paid these sites to have access to your information.

And beware of getting locked into an Agency relationship with a realtor you'd rather not work with. It will just be one of us and our promise to you is that we would like to earn your business by treating you with respect rather than with pressure. Once you contact us, we will answer any questions we can about the home of interest and contact the listing agent to get any other information, including showing requirements. Important to note here is that, during COVID, many sellers want to limit their exposure by only allowing pre-qualified buyers into their homes. We would be happy to talk to you more about what this means.

So, things have changed, but they are still very doable. And - it is our understanding that open houses are not coming back anytime soon. For sure not this year, and maybe not even in 2021.

If you are thinking about selling, we’d love to talk to you about how we do “virtual open houses” to give your home exposure and then use that forum to screen buyers based on your preferences, who wish to see it in person.

If you are ready to buy, then we would like to talk to you about how we can help you ‘virtually” preview a home – or make arrangements for you to take a look in person. Bookmark us and keep coming back. We think of our web home as your “One Stop Shop” and we require nothing of you to use whatever search or information tools you find here. Better yet, sign up for a listing alert, set your parameters, and get updated the moment a home that matches your established criteria comes onto the market

If you are only in the research stage of your process you have found the right place. We would love to talk to you about how we can help you simplify that process with absolutely no pressure to make a move forward until you are ready. And of course, our web home with all its resources is here for you as well.