DONNA L. CHASE
Season’s buyers ‘serious’

The snowstorm that recently hit the Northeast caused some challenges for real estate agents who had scheduled open houses. Some Realtors were forced to cancel open houses after a powerful storm dumped up to three feet of snow in some parts of the Bay State.

But Realtor Kate Lanagan MacGregor didn’t let the snow get in her way.

MacGregor, who works in the Mattapoisett office of Jack Conway & Co., had scheduled an open house for a Wareham home the Sunday of the storm. It was too late to cancel the advertising space she had reserved in the local newspaper featuring details of the open house, so instead of calling off the open house she decided to launch what she called a “snowball special.”

The snowball special, she explained last week, offered $10,000 off the selling price for anyone who made an offer the day of the open house. To get the word out about the “special,” MacGregor left voice mail messages with buyers and real estate agents within her office and at other companies.

“I had always talked with the owner about offering a price break,” said MacGregor. “I didn’t sell the house, but it was a chance to touch base with the people who came.”

At a time when most people are heading to shopping malls or decking the halls, Realtors like MacGregor are becoming more creative about keeping their business going. Traditionally, real estate activity during late November and December slows as many customers and real estate agents become preoccupied with preparing for and celebrating the holidays, according to local Realtors.

‘False Impression’

Sellers are loath to put their homes up for sale and some decide to temporarily take their homes off the market during the holidays, according to real estate experts. Meanwhile, many buyers put a halt to their search and wait for spring when more homes typically become available for sale.

But some Realtors believe that buyers can get good deals on homes during this time of year as motivated sellers try to unload their properties, particularly if their homes have been on the market for months. Sellers, on the other hand, will have access to buyers who really want to find a house, not those merely testing the waters.

“A lot of sellers are under the false impression that they should take their home off the market during the holidays,” said Donna L. Chase, owner of The Chase Realty Team in Norwell. “I tell my sellers the buyers that are out there looking [during this time of year] are the serious buyers. Those are the ones they’re looking for … they’re not the tire kickers.”

Like many other real estate professionals, Chase takes the opportunity during December to send out a company calendar to clients, and her company makes donations and volunteers to wrap holiday gifts. Chase’s company also has a moving van with the company logo that she lends to former and current clients and to different community groups, including a senior citizen league.

“It’s about getting our name out there and showing that we’re not all about making money for ourselves,” she said.

Other real estate agents take a more laid-back approach to the season. Jim Polino, owner of Highland Real Estate in Winthrop, said many companies use the time to take a “breather and thank our clients.”

“This is a time for us to reflect and see how our year has been and let our clients know that we’re here and we appreciate their business,” he said.

Polino’s company also sends out a year-at-a-glance calendar to city officials, residents and clients and makes various charitable contributions.

Unlike MacGregor, Polino’s company canceled the four open houses that his office scheduled the weekend of the storm.

While the snow can put a “crimp in business,” Polino said that his company doesn’t cut back on advertising during the holiday season. “We do more because the real buyers are there. They don’t go away. If they’re ready to buy, you don’t want to be off the shelf,” he said.

Realtor Beth Van der Veer, who works in the same office as MacGregor and thought that her colleague’s snowball special was a clever idea, said that she keeps in touch with customers and brings them gifts.

Van der Veer tells buyers that even though no new listings are coming on the market, she will keep in touch and she also sends them a list of all the homes with price reductions.

“I tell my buyers that they can probably get the best buy this time of year,” she said. And she advises her sellers to hang in there because more buyers will emerge after the New Year begins.

“I always tell my sellers not to get discouraged because when we round the corner to January, people think ‘spring,'” she said

Last year, after hearing colleagues talk about how the market slows late in the fourth quarter, MacGregor backed away from promotional activities and took most of December off. This year, she decided to stick around and has focused on mailing her quarterly newsletter to former and prospective clients.

So far, November was the busiest month of the year for Jack Conway’s Mattapoisett office, she said.

“I personally have found this not to be a slow season,” she said.

Aglaia Pikounis may be reached at apikounis@thewarrengroup.com.