In South Africa, Show houses are something that have been around for many years and has become a tradition in the Real estate Market. However with the changing technological environment and the quality of photos and videos of properties for sale and the online advantages, many Estate Agents believe that traditional show houses are becoming old fashioned and non-productive and would rather arrange individual viewings for prospective buyers. This theory is also supported by sellers who don’t like the idea of their home being open to strangers and the security risks that come along with this.
However, keep in mind that not all potential purchasers have access to the internet or website portals and may not be very familiar with this marketing tool, so a show-day may be the only opportunity they have to view your home. Many buyers like to get to know an area in person first to see if they like it and what it offers and therefor will then visit whatever homes may be on show over a few weekends to get a better feel for what it would really be like to live there. It also helps create a market presence for the seller’s home.
Of course it can also happen that the only people who turn up on a particular show-day are inquisitive neighbours or a few hopelessly under qualified buyers who have no intention of making an offer but more often than not your neighbours can be a good source of buyer leads, knowing a friend or family member that might be interested in moving into the area. Some further advantages of show houses are that they produce “live feedback” as potential purchasers get to communicate with your agent and that can be very valuable in that fact that it helps determine the response on your asking price, buyers opinion on the home and general pros and cons of the home. This can help your agent sit and discuss things with you and adjust aspects to the marketing of the home and things that could be attended to, to make it more sellable.
Your qualified and experienced Rosie Viljoen agent will not let your efforts to prepare your home for the show house go to waste but will instead do their best to promote and advertise the show house in advance and generate maximum possible interest among suitable buyers.