Fall Real Estate Season, Cambridge Style

I know that the fall real estate season has started! Why? Because, today I was invited to two wine and cheese parties. My first invitation came while I was showing a condo. The second was in the MLS, while I was searching for the same client:

Please join us for a special evening of wine, cheese and music by the noted cellist, R_____, to view this outstanding 2004 townhouse. Impeccable condition, sophisticated finishes, and all the amenities one expects. We hope to see you there and please feel free to bring buyers.

When the real estate season kicks in, the most successful listing agents want to attract the best agents into their listings. Back in the days of a seller’s market, I would sometimes find lunch was served at broker open houses. Frequently, there were no treats.

In the past few years, since good buyers became harder to find, broker open houses seem more like the social season in Jane Austen novels. The style and panache of these events has improved from take-out Chinese lunch or a deli/ pastry platter served, to all-out parties. We get invited for wine and cheese, lobster, name-chef sample tastings, wine give-aways, raffles...

What this shows me is that sellers of very nice homes feel the need to entertain in order to attract me and my clients to their places. I’m not complaining, merely observing. I would feel popular, but I am not. It is my client who is popular.