REAL ESTATE: Signs of the times

Hoping to stay ahead of slump, Weichert tries Wednesdays

Lancaster New Era

Published: Jul 24, 2008
11:04 EST

By JOSEPH MALDONADO, Correspondent

It looks like Weichert Realtors-Engle & Hambright is avoiding the worst of America's current real-estate crisis.

In fact, owner Terry Wiley says the company is 3 percent ahead of last year's sales.

"It takes every piece of knowledge we have to stay ahead," he says.

"That and creative thinking."

So Weichert, which has offices at 2250 Erin Court and 1 Kennedy St., both in Lancaster, decided to create "Wacky Wednesdays."

That doesn't mean the company hires clowns or jugglers to draw attention to properties.

"It's another day of the week for open houses," Wiley says. "It's the idea of breaking away from the Sunday open house expectation that is wacky."

Traditionally, many potential home buyers shop the real-estate ads before actually visiting a home. If the buyers are lucky, a home they're interested in will host a Sunday open house.

People who attend open houses usually buy a home within six months of starting their search, Wiley says.

"This occurs nearly 78 percent of the time, making this group among the most serious when it comes to home buying," he says.

But as nice as it is to walk through an open house, getting to one isn't always convenient, especially in the summer.

"People do a lot of family things on the weekends," Wiley says. "And they take a lot of vacations."

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After working in real estate for more than two decades, Wiley bought his Weichert franchise (www.weicherteh.com) about 3½ years ago.

In that short period, he has grown from one to 81 agents, working in and around Lancaster County.

Wiley says his agents were excited about the idea of Wednesday open houses. Unlike Sunday-afternoon open houses, Wacky Wednesdays are held in the evening, usually from 6 to 8 p.m.

"We started this idea in April to increase sales," says Sheri Dougherty, Weichert's manager and trainer.

Weichert now averages an additional 10 open houses a week, boosting its total to 122.

"It's another way we can demonstrate to our customers that we are being proactive in what many view as a flat market."

Weichert agent Elizabeth Bowlin welcomes the wacky day and hours.

"Many have thanked me for adding this extra day," she says, while working a recent Wednesday open house in Lititz.

"Sometimes a person will just happen to pass by a wacky open house, stop in on a whim and bring their spouse back on Sunday. It may only take that one extra moment of opportunity to help someone find the home of their dreams."

Traffic is still higher for most properties on Sundays. But Bowlin says several Wednesdays have won out the week, in terms of visitors.

Wiley says Weichert will host Wacky Wednesday open houses through September. Then his team will brainstorm new ideas for the fall and winter.

In the meanwhile, he's pleased with the results he's seeing.

"We have definitely helped sell more homes because of Wacky Wednesday, which makes everyone involved very happy," he says.

Dougherty says she knows of at least two homes that were sold as a direct result of a Wacky Wednesday visit.

But there are still plenty of homes left to sell.

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In the same way open houses are a familiar tool to home buyers, real estate agents across the country are expanding other familiar practices to deal with a difficult market.

Pam Powers, owner of Broker South Properties in Mississippi, says she is seeing an increase in home auctions.

"The companies that offer auction services say that they reach another customer niche, customers that love the thrill of the bidding process," Powers says.

The difficult conditions have also led to lower prices. In addition, Powers says she also tries to emphasize quality of life issues and how home ownership can improve lives.

For those not moving to Mississippi, there are still plenty of homes left to sell and buy here and as such, Dougherty says homebuyers should give their Wacky Wednesdays a try.

"Prospective customers really get a chance to see homes and neighborhoods in a different light, literally," says Dougherty.

"And maybe that's not so much wacky as it is wonderful for our customers."

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