A long-standing weekend tradition for many real estate agents has been featuring a home for an open house in hopes that a potential client will fall in love – with the house that is.

Recently, broker-associate with the Wells Group of Durango and retired professional cyclist Chris Wherry was in the Three Springs area strategically setting up ”Open House” signs leading from the entrance of Mercy Regional Medical Center to 434 Clear Spring Ave.

At the residence, the door was open and inviting. Inside the house, a basket of chocolates, small water bottles, flyers with information about the home and Wherry’s business cards rested on the countertops for the taking.

It was a relatively simple way to prepare for an open house. Other open houses, such as those on popular television shows where real estate agents are trying to sell million-dollar homes in big cities like Miami, Los Angeles and New York, can be much more lavish, Wherry said. That’s not exactly the case in Durango when you’re trying to sell affordable single-family homes.

Other local real estate agents go about preparing for an open house in a similar way.

Gina Piccoli, broker with Coldwell Banker Heritage House Realtors, said there isn’t much of a science to preparing for an open house. However, she said individual agents may have their own methods.

If it’s a resale, real estate agents generally hope the owner left the property clean because it’s not the agent’s job to clean the home, she said. Also, having some cookies or a snack and some water is a nice touch.

There is a strategy to picking the right home for an open house, though.

Homes in town or a residential neighborhood are the best because there is more traffic. Sometimes, people who live nearby will drive by an open house to check out the home for sale in their neighborhood.

Country and rural homes are less ideal for open houses because fewer people are driving by the house.

Piccoli likes to let the home speak for itself and she lets people take in the experience without being asked too many questions.

“Most of the time you try to be pleasant and inviting,” she said. “Let the people look at the house.”

Coldwell Banker, like many other brokerages in town, hosts a handful of open houses every weekend, especially in the summer.

Before an open house, the brokers gather information about the neighborhood, the home and general market for visitors who may have questions about the area.

Before the actual open house, Wherry likes to study what is available in the market and examine the floor plan of the house he is showing.

When touring a home, one of the first places clients check is the kitchen. Then they evaluate the rooms, closet space and, lastly, the home’s finishes, Wherry said.

During the open house, a couple dropped by to browse the home, mostly out of curiosity.

“Oh, yeah, it’s nice,” said Charlie Albert, who was viewing the home with his wife, Judy. “We aren’t really in the market; we are just looking at what’s out there.”

The couple examined every room and crevasse of the house and were impressed with what they saw.

“It’s really very charming,” Judy Albert said. “Everything looks so well-kept, and that’s really nice for a young family.”

Most people who come to open houses are serious, but there are some who come out of curiosity. Some of them may recommend a home they visited to a friend who might be looking for a home in the area, Wherry said.

Most inquiries for a Three Springs home are from first-time buyers because of their lower prices, he said.

“It’s an attractive price-point,” he said.

“This is one of the more affordable homes out here (in Three Springs), which is really cool,” Wherry said about the home he was showing while waiting for potential buyers to show up.

The 1,345-square-foot Energy Star-rated home is on the market for $324,900. It has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and is a two-story house with a garage.

The home is being offered in partnership with the Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County, a program that offers assistance as well as pre-purchase counseling and education to county residents looking for help to purchase a home. The RHA offers mortgage assistance to buyers who meet certain income qualifications.

While selling homes is a job for Wherry, a former cyclist, he also finds it satisfying that he is able to help new friends find their dream homes.

“This is the biggest purchase people will make in their life,” Wherry said.

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RHA helping with mortgage assistance

The Regional Housing Alliance of La Plata County is helping to make home ownership a reality for more local families.
Karen Iverson, executive director of the alliance, said the mortgage assistance program works with families who may not be able to afford to purchase a new home.
The alliance receives funding through grants and uses the money to help new homeowners qualify for a share-appreciation mortgage.
Under the program, she said, if RHA provides a client with a loan for 5 percent of the purchase price, the agency is entitled to 5 percent of any appreciation if the homeowner sells the home.
Income qualifications vary based on the neighborhood, number of family members and a family’s total income, Iverson said.
A family of three that makes up to $82,000 a year is eligible to receive a $10,000 loan to purchase a home in Three Springs through the program. The Regional Housing Alliance has helped 13 families with mortgage assistance this year, she said.
The alliance offers free monthly classes at Fort Lewis College regarding everything you need to know about being a first-time home buyer, such as looking at a family’s budget and credit score. In total, through various services, the RHA has helped 40 families become home owners this year, Iverson said
The city of Durango has put in place a requirement that 16 percent of all developments must have an affordable component, Iverson said. Twenty-five percent of the homes in the Three Springs development qualify as affordable.
“We want to make sure that as our community grows that we include housing that is affordable to the workforce.