Holding Open Houses During the Playoffs

This past weekend I held open my new listing at 24 Lakeview Ct in Novato. It’s a nice two bedroom two bathroom condominium in the centrally located Scottsdale Pond area off of Rowland Boulevard with awesome views of the pond and Mount Burdell. Since the property had just come on the market this past week it was necessary that I hold it open, even if the 49ers were kicking off against the Green Bay Packers at 1:40pm and I had scheduled my open house from 1-4pm.

Marin’s housing market typically gets started right after the New Year, then kicks into a higher gear after the Super Bowl as a mini wave of new listings comes onto the market. By April the spring market hits a crescendo as the sellers who have been waiting for warmer weather and blooming flowers greet the spring buyers who have been waiting anxiously for choices afforded by inventory increases. The advantage for sellers putting their homes on the market this time of year as opposed to the spring is the lack of inventory, which means there is little competition among sellers.

Even with the 49ers kicking off during my open house I had a number of solid perspective buyers visit the property. Several were 49er fans, including one couple who rushed in and out right before the kickoff and another who came through at halftime. Things were definitely quieter after the kickoff, but I’d be willing to wager if the 49ers were not playing and it had been any other two teams playing the open house would have seen more crowds.

And of course there were perspective buyers who weren’t football fans who attended the open house as well. Imagine that, not everyone sacrifices beautiful fall Sunday afternoons, some of the best weather we get all year, glued to their television sets. I’ve got no choice. I became a 49er faithful fan for life at the tender age of six and haven’t looked back so holding open houses when my team is playing has always been a little tough for me. When we get into the playoffs it's been even more difficult. I hold the homes open because making a living comes first, but not without a fight from the Niner fan within me.

The lesson from the past weekend is pretty obvious. It’s worthwhile to hold an open house while the 49ers are playing, even during the opening Wildcard weekend of the playoffs. Next week the 49ers are scheduled to play the early Divisional Playoff game on Sunday, so there should be no open house conflicts. But dare I speculate what will happen if they make it to the NFC Championships and the Super Bowl?

Actually the Super Bowl usually kicks off at 3:40pm and lots of Realtors hold their homes open from 1-3pm so they don’t miss a snap. The NFC Championship however, the penultimate game is another quandary altogether. If necessary would I hold another open house if the 49ers got that far this year? The Niner fan within me is saying I might just need to find another Realtor to cover an NFC Championship Game.