More than 900 sales branches will be taking part in the UK's 'largest open house weekend' later this week.
The event, which is organised by Countrywide, sees vendors make their homes available for viewings, with buyers encouraged to make visits to multiple properties.
Countrywide says the event is supported by a nationwide campaign, with featured properties benefitting from enhanced exposure.
Last year, the event featured 11,500 properties and generated 24,500 viewings, resulting in almost 3,000 sales, according to Countrywide.
"The open house weekend allows sellers to truly promote their property to the widest possible audience and our branches will be open over the full weekend to maximise buyer enquiries," said a Countrywide spokesperson.
Strutt & Parker will be holding a similar event in October. Its previous national open house day took place in February, generating around 1,100 viewings, resulting in 32 sales.
Last month, high-end estate agency Hanover Private Office claimed that open house viewings are no longer effective at the top end of the market.
The firm's founder and managing director, Alex Newall, said that High Net Worth Individuals are not prepared to mingle with their competition and that even buying agents are failing to attend the events.
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I can only imagine how delighted the Countrywide staff are being told they are working over a full weekend doing something so totallt useless. I wonder when the mass exodus will begin??
Already began, almost everyone i knew who worked for them has quit.
They are replacing most of the experienced agents with new starters on very basic salaries.
I bet they are very happy at working extra hours for no more pay, if their already poor salary wasn't enough for them to put up with.
Never understand these open house events they just seem a total waste of time not just for the vendors who must get very disapointed when no-one comes to view their property but equally as frustrating for the staff wasting a day gaining nothing from it. really feel for the staff at Countrywide.
Countrywide not having a great time of it, are they? What's going on with them? Seems the new direction being taken by Alison Platt and co is alienating a lot of people. Risky strategy, in my book.
As Bob Scarff mentioned in his Q & A, retail and estate agency don't mix. They are two totally different beasts.
They bought a whole bunch of under performing branches around the docklands, within a few months they shut 2 of them down and were stalling the lease extension for my old office.
No idea what their business plan was, it literally made no sense.
a worthy read this article, especially the q's re CW
https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/industry-views/2016/9/property-natter-q--and--a-with-bob-scarff
Ahhhhh takes me back!
The big sale! - Hammer your vendors for a minimum 5% reduction, Try and flog them some "enhanced" advertising.
Tell them they will be in a London expo.
Make the staff work a full weekend.
See diddly squat difference to a normal weekend!
For the following six weeks deal with vendors complaining that the prop has still not sold and they want their money back for the extra advertising before leaving and going to another agent to get it sale agreed before Christmas.
The good old days!
You forgot one crucial step:
Blame the staff who worked past 6pm and over the weekend for not selling the property.
office's fix their viewing numbers, hold them back from the days leading up to the weekend then put them all in for the big open house weekend so all the top dogs at CW think wow this is amazing these open hse wkends really work lets keep doing them. i know this for a fact, having expericed this first hand (something i never did i may add) but was told you gotta be in it to win it, play the game etc etc. couple years ago one office reported over 70 viewings for the weekend, they never came close to doing that in a week before let alone over two days of a weekend. so if one office is doing this you can put your house on it (as it wont sell at the open hse) that others are doing it too. yet again misleading the vendors to believing it is something great and worth while doing and taking part in when it's not. phoning up was the worst, a few vendors were like....'oh god what are you trying to sell me now'....enough said i rest my case
www.agencynegotiation.com/episode-27-homeowners-avoid-selling-open-house/
Totally agree with all the comments. Waste of time and a manipulative sales tactic.
AND WHAT A WASTE OF TIME THAT WAS
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