"Open House" -- sign of the times in Snohomish County

"Open House" -- sign of the times in Snohomish County

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Story Published: Jul 28, 2008 at 6:57 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 11:51 PM PDT

By Eric Schudiske

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EVERETT -- Real estate agents in Snohomish County are now resorting to a "shock treatment" for slouching home sales in their area.

Realtors advertised more than 400 open houses over the weekend. Agents say they hope playing the numbers game adds-up to more home sales.

"It's to get the public excited about all the great listings they can see out here today," said Rich Williamson, President of the Snohomish County Association of Realtors. "It's a chance to see more homes than they ever saw in one day or one weekend."

Ramona Hayes feels more comfortable buying now, as opposed to last year.

"Now the prices seem to be dropping a lot more, so I feel like I'm getting a lot more for my money," she said.

She visited five properties just on Sunday.

"Having them open on one day, so I don't have to work around my schedule and their schedule. It's perfect."

There are more homes to see. According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Homes on the market in Snohomish County increased 16 percent over this time last year.

Even better for buyers, the average home price ticked downward from $355,000 last year to around $329,000.

Chris Lamoreaux says the housing market story is more than just numbers.

"We're going fight the media that's been negative about the housing market," he said. "The real estate market in Snohomish County and the Puget Sound is excellent."

The 400 open house signs came down Sunday night, but odds are that hundreds will be back out soon.

"I think in the future we're going to do this again," Williamson said. "I'm excited about this. This is a great opportunity."

An opportunity agents hope to turn an historic number of open house signs into homes with sold signs.

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