How do I evaluate open home results and feedback when selling in NZ?

How to Give Effective Feedback on Open Home Results
Evaluating open home results is an essential skill for vendors managing a sale campaign. Here is how to interpret what you are hearing and act on it effectively.

Separating signal from noise
Not all open home feedback is equally useful. Comments from casual visitors who have no genuine intention to purchase are low-signal. Comments from buyers who have pre-approval, are actively searching, and have viewed comparable properties recently are high-signal. Ask your agent to qualify the feedback they are reporting: who gave this feedback, and are they a credible buyer for this property?

Price feedback: the most actionable signal
If the majority of genuinely qualified buyers describe your property as overpriced or indicate they would not purchase at the current price guide, this is the most important signal you can receive in a sale campaign. Act on consistent price feedback quickly. Every additional week on the market at an unachievable price costs you in days on market, perception, and eventual negotiating position.

Presentation feedback
If buyers consistently mention specific presentation issues (the carpet is worn, the kitchen feels dated, the garden is overgrown), these are potentially fixable. Assess whether the cost of the fix is justified: a $3,000 carpet replacement that moves buyers from ‘too much work’ to ‘I could see myself here’ is worth considering. A $40,000 kitchen renovation mid-campaign is probably not. Make targeted, cost-effective fixes to the issues buyers are mentioning.

Attendance feedback
Consistently low attendance (fewer than two or three groups per open home in a recovering market) suggests a marketing reach problem or a price problem.
If attendance is low but feedback from those who attend is positive, the marketing needs to be expanded or repositioned. If attendance is reasonable but no offers are forthcoming, the price or the property itself is the barrier.

Giving useful feedback to your agent
As a vendor, you also have feedback to give your agent, about their communication, the quality of their reporting, and whether their strategy is aligned with what you are hearing from the market.
​Be direct: tell your agent what you are not getting that you need. Specific, constructive feedback makes the working relationship more effective and improves your outcome.

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Paul Sumich is a Bream Bay-based real estate agent with Ray White who publishes honest, practical guidance across the Bream Bay and Northland property market. His background includes a Sales Manager role overseeing multiple offices, and extensive experience in the Whangarei and Northland residential market. He currently lives in One Tree Point. Find more at paulsumich.co.nz/blog.