OT Anyone used an Open House event to sell house?

Just had a letter from my EA inviting us to join their Open House weekend at the end of March. They tell me they will be agressively marketing it, etc, etc, and only a selected few properties are invited to take part...whatever!
They want us to drop the price by 5k for the weekend (fair enough, we're talking about it anyway), and be available here at one of three specified times over the weekend, and take names and phone nos of all viewers to give to the branch.

We really really want to sell, but I am due to give birth of the 2nd April(!) and there are a few things that need doing in the house really before we could do that - one of which is the damp patch on the bathroom wall which we are trying to get dealt with (don't get my started on the insurance company idiots!) and we might have to disguise carefully for the weekend!!!

House has been on the market for almost 2 years and EA have sent us a grand total of ZERO viewers, so we are about to dump them for someone else but wanted to sort bathroom first!

Anyone any experience of doing this?! We desparately want to sell, but are we mad to consider it so close to baby's due date (last one was late and this one probabaly will be too but...!), and is it likely to work?

I don't know if it would increase your chances of selling but its a way of getting viewings over and done with on one day I imagine....that said the fact that you have had house on market for 2 years and no viewigs is outrageous...think you would be wise to get rid of your EA....

We are due to view a couple of houses soon that are open house and the only thing we are worried about is if other people like it as much as us then we will obviously be caught in a bidding war (great for the seller) but I imagine if the houses were open to viewings anytime then it would be a case of first come first serve anyway....hope that makes sense and good luck x

Are they not coming to do the viewings for you? Whenever the EA I worked for did open days at a house, we normally advitised a 2 hour block for a certain property and then one of us went along to be there the whole 2 hours and we told the sellers to go out. To be honest if you have had no viewers in 2 years I would be so angry with EA, can I ask why you haven't changed agents already, out of interest? Also whenever we did open days, I don't think we ever sold one house from them. To be honest they are more a way to satisfy a disgruntled vendor you are trying everything. Normally the people that come along are browsers, rather than buyers. Sorry I am amazed they have asked you to take names and numbers of everyone to them give to them! I wouldn't bother espicially so close to your due date.

We had an Open Day to sell our house as soon as it came onto the market.

The EA did all the marketing and ended up booking consecutive appointments on the day rather than people just turning up. We had 6 viewings and an asking price offer first thing the next day.

I am also amazed that you haven't changed agents. What exactly are they doing to earn their commission? It it's an Open House you should arrange to be out for the day and they can take care of viewings etc. They seem to be getting you to do their job for them!

If it was me, I'd bin them off, get a new agent now, and get them to do you a proper Open Day once the baby has arrived and you feel ready to do it.

mrshwl - thanks for the honest opinions! We haven't changed agents as we got slighty cold feet about moving, well more about where we were moving to, for a while, so we happily let it slide.  We have been looking at changing for a couple of months but wanted to just finish a wee bit of work in here before moving - we've had new EAs round to value but then had problems with a roof repair and difficult insurance company which is why we've not acted.

Interesting re browsers, and also that they won't be here to take names themselves - the info certainly asks us to do it, which I did think was cheeky!

Sweet-cheeks, thanks also for your input !

I just don't know what to do. Desperately want to sell now, esp as we have found a dream new development that we want to buy on (but who won't take this in part ex sadly!) but not sure I can deal with the hassle with a new baby!

Thanks again x