What about those "postcards" sent to people in the mail? My guess is that they are a waste of time & money. What Trisha said made me think, almost everyone gets the Sunday paper but usually only serious buyers pick up the Homes & Land Magazines you see in stores. However, these are getting a little more difficult to find. Wal-Mart no longer has any of the free sales magazines (Both the East & West York stores removed the racks.

I must be in the minority. Starting in the late 90s, I found all of my properties VIA the internet and then called an agent. My first home (early 90s) I bought direct from the seller.

I asked this question because prior to the recent real estate bubble, I never even considered an open house. Houses sold themself and all an agent needed to do was put the sign in the yard.

Wed May 7 2008, 07:41

RGRDC,

Citizens here in York County go against the tide when it comes to technology. According to the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors only 4% of consumers found their home in print newspaper advertisement. The numbers are significantly higher when they used a real estate agent and the internet (38% and 29% respectively).

Almost ALL of my traffic through open houses comes from those who have seen my ad in the local paper. For open house traffic it is still in our best interests as agents to place those weekly ads, however they rarely sell the house. I have had two homes sell as a result of an open house. It sounds like you have had better luck.

Happy selling... and I would have to say that print advertising is still a way to go when it comes to Open Houses.

Shelley Kefauver

Wed May 7 2008, 04:49

The Home Source is very helpful to buyers looking for a home. This is where the majority of open houses are advertised. I feel many people just make it a habit to read the sunday newspaper including the Home Source and therefore they see the homes that are for sale and if one of them catches their eye they might act on it. People who are in the market for a home will often pick up the real estate magazines that you see at grocery and retail stores.

Wed May 7 2008, 04:40