Open houses are not only a great way to bring in the most buyers for your listing but can also be a great for your branding as a Real Estate Professional. Open houses are a great way to meet buyers, who are at times unrepresented. This gives you the opportunity to win them over and represent them in their future purchase, even if it’s not the listing your hosting the open house at. We’ve put together some tips as to how to host a successful open house and to getting the most exposure possible.
- Advertise your event online – in the world we live in today, this probably goes without saying but it is SO important to post your open house online! This will get you the most exposure for your open house. Make sure you have it listed in Realtracs so the open house info is sent along with the other data to all the partnering sites. Other ways to advertise online include posting on social media, creating an event on Facebook, and sending an email blast to your database, because even if they aren’t looking right now, they may know someone who is!
- Print old fashion brochures as well – Having a paper brochure for open house guests to take with them will help them distinguish and remember the home. Many visitors are likely going to multiple open houses that day, so it’s important they have something with you listing’s information on it. This also gives you an opportunity to advertise yourself! Make sure your contact information is on the bottom incase they have questions after the open house or are unrepresented and need a Real Estate Professional!
- Have a sign in form – A sign in form is a great way to capture leads and also track who was in your listing for safety purposes. If they are unrepresented, you can follow up with them even if they didn’t like this home and find them one they do. It also can be a good way to get feedback on the home to let your seller know what prospective buyers are thinking.
- Make sure sellers lock valuables & are out of the home – Nobody wants to critique someone’s home in front of them! Make sure your seller, as well as any pets they may have are out of the home during your open house. Just to be safe, make sure all of their valuables are locked up or removed from the home as well.
- Place open house signs a few days prior – To get as much exposure as possible, be sure to place your signs out a few days before your open house rather than the day of.
- Choose an “off-hour” – Most open houses take place from Sunday from 2-4. Sometimes buyers may not have enough time to get to all the open houses they want to during this window. By adjusting your open house by an hour (ex. 1pm-3pm or 3pm-5pm), you can help increase your amount of traffic and number of people able to make it to your open house.
