My family and I frequently travel to Wisconsin to visit family. I grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and have always enjoyed checking out open houses when I am visiting. Because it was Christmastime during this most recent visit, there were limited offerings on that Sunday, and it was about 19 degrees outside, and there was a Packers game on TV, so I had other priorities. Go Pack Go!
Browsing the listings in the local paper reminded me how real estate practices, in addition to local and state laws and regulations, differ across the country. In Maryland and DC and much of this region, the typical public open house is Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Occasionally an agent will hold a property open on a Saturday for a couple of hours, say 1-3 p.m. or 2-4, but I cannot recall seeing an open house for less than 2 hours.
In Oshkosh, open houses are typically one hour long. So one agent, let's call him Charlie, can hold House A on Westhaven Drive open 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., then scoot over to Listing B on Grove Street from noon to 1:00 p.m., and finish off the afternoon's work at House C on Mount Vernon Street from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. That schedule makes me exhausted just typing it. Then again, that fictitious agent Charlie might shudder at the thought of staying in one house for three solid hours.
I enjoy thinking about these different practices and customs. I wonder what buyers think?
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