Open House Real Estate Techniques for Successful Lead

When people think of real estate agents they oftentimes think of open houses real estate agents we do open houses all the time they do two big things for us for one they help us generate new buyer business and then secondly and most importantly they help us sell the home that was holding hoping.

It gives an opportunity for the public to really come in check out the home and hopefully put in an offer and so I’ve been doing open houses for a while in my business. So what I want to do in this article is I want to actually go through my open house process and go through the things that I actually do to prepare for my open houses.

I’m gonna show you some of the things that I have on display at my open houses and then I’m also going to give you some of the questions that I ask people who walk in the door of my open houses. So I’m gonna give you all that in this article trust me I won’t make it too long so definitely stick with me.

Best Day For Open House

So let’s go ahead and dive into this topic of open houses. Let’s just say that I have an open house coming up on Saturday. so Saturday is the day of the actual open house so my preparation for that open house that’s going to happen on Saturday even Sunday my preparation is going to begin on Wednesday.

So on Wednesday, I’m going to start getting ready for the open house. I am going to add an open house in MLS. Also if it doesn’t automatically happen I’m going to go into all of the real estate websites.

I’m gonna go and put the open house on there, so that’s the stuff like Zillow, realtor.com all of those different websites that let us update our listings I’m gonna go on those sites and at the open house in there.

Marketing Materials

Also on Wednesday is when we’re gonna go ahead and begin to get the marketing materials ready and by marketing materials, I am referring to the actual things that we’re gonna have in the open house but then I’m also referring to things that we put out on social media marketing.

Social Media Marketing

So all of the Facebook the Instagram if there needs to be a video recorded versus for snapchat and for Instagram stories that’s what I’m going to go ahead and do that now when I’m doing that stuff on Wednesday I’m also driving the neighborhood.

So if I go out to the property like let’s say for instance I want to do a video out front of the I mean in front of the actual home that I’m gonna hold open this weekend I’m going and drive the neighborhood in while I’m doing that video.

So just to kind of let people know we’re gonna push this stuff out on social media Facebook Instagram all those places but then we’re also going to start to print the in-home marketing materials.

Best Day for Broker Open House

So the next day that we go is Thursday don’t really do much but on Friday that’s the big day now on Thursday we’re still doing social media marketing and all that type of stuff but on Friday since our open houses on Saturday that’s when a lot of the moving activity happens and so we get these signs put out.

When we get the science fit-out after hours so typically 5 p.m. and later because if we put them out before then there’s a good chance that they’ll get taken up by the city and so after 5:00 is when we’re going put the signs out and if the home is vacant on that Friday I’ll go ahead and set up the whole presentation then but if there are people still living there then I’ll just wait until Saturday.

While we’re out on Friday this is a good opportunity to speak with any neighbors that may be passing by and see you outputting out signs let them know that the open house is happening if you want to door knock this would be a great opportunity to to do that but most of the times especially since you’re going out in the evening you’re going to see people going by I put the magnet on the actual sign.

What Happens at an Open House?

this is an example of the magnet that goes on the sign so put that on the actual sign it’s nice and bright and it lets them know what time the open house is happening and in addition to that I’m also putting out like balloons and anything to start to get people interested in the open house.

Now you’re gonna start to receive text messages you’re going to start to receive calls that happen and those signs in the directionals and all those things they definitely help out. So now we are on Saturday and so Saturday is our actual day of the open house.

It’s my open house is starting at noon I’m gonna get there around 11:00 now if for some reason I didn’t get to put out signs or I need to put out more signs then that’s gonna happen before that but typically around 11 o’clock is a good time to get there maybe even 11:30 if the property is small enough and on this Saturday is when everything gets set up.

So I’m going to have all of my documents with me I’m gonna make sure that the signs are out and they’re giving people great directions the documents that I typically have at the open house I, of course, have buyer reps so like I have blank buyer representation agreements.

I also have the information about brokerage services which is a document that we have to have hearing Texas for anybody who talks about real estate we have to make sure that they get this disclosure something that I also have are these relocation magazine.

Promotion Techniques Ideas for an open house

So anybody who is relocating to the area and I have relocation magazines there for them it gives them the schools it gives them the golf courses, private schools, shopping malls pretty much everything anybody would want to be interested in.

I have those out there I also have snacks and so with the snacks, I’ll also have water bottles. I will have information about our listing services like I said I do have the property flyer and now one thing that I don’t have is I don’t have a signing sheet I don’t use sign-in sheets

Signing sheets are so annoying to me and not that I don’t make people sign in but I just don’t use those signing sheets because they’re they get so messy and people don’t fill them out.

Use Guest Card

So what I use are these things they’re called guest cards in these I actually make. But I just basically ask them their name email address home phone number cell phone number their current address how did they hear about the open house and then when are they moving.

So I get it printed on cardstock but what this allows me to do is they fill this out and I make sure that I can read it but as I’m walking with them talking with them I’m writing on the back. I’m writing information that’s important to them or any things that they say to me that could be helpful in finding them their home that they’re very much interested in.

So the questions that I ask and the answer that I write on this guest card I always ask people do they live in the area. I want to know if they’re just a neighbor or if they’ve traveled far to come to this open house you know if they do live in the area they’re most likely just checking out the home to see what it’s all about or they may have somebody who they want to move into the neighborhood.

But if they’ve come from a far away I start to get into that conversation you know (where are you moving from) (what’s bringing you to the area) (how soon do you need to be here) if you could you know imagine what home that you’re looking for what does that look like all that kind of stuff.

I like to ask them how long they’ve been searching for a home, so have you been looking for a while or is this your first day out because I want to see maybe how close they are to get into that final purchase time.

I of course ask them what’s important to them you know in all the time that I’m doing this I don’t just put them do an interview like I’m not just sitting there asking one question after another after another I’m walking you through the home.

Telling them things about the home and just sliding little questions in hearing they’re now I don’t have a long list of questions because I like to let their answers guide me to the next questions but I don’t want to make it feel like an interview so I’m not just back to back questions.

I’m still pointing out things about the home then what I’ll let them do is I will do the downstairs if there’s a second level then I let them go to the second level and tour on their own.

Because you know I want to give them that freedom and so that they can talk freely now when they get back downstairs that’s when I ask them. So what did you like about the home what didn’t you like, how do you feel about the price is this something you could see yourself in.

Okay well what can you see yourself in I think that’s when I’m pulling out comps because I have those comps there at the open house. So I’m pulling those out and letting them know the other homes that are available in the area that may fit their criteria.

All the while writing on the back of the guest card I know sometimes people write information that’s wrong and so how I like to make sure that I get the right information is based on something that they said.

I tell them like I’m going to send you over you know X Y Z or specifically because you’re gonna love this actual home, so I want to send it to your email I’m gonna send you the pictures and so just to make sure your email addresses such as such a yahoo.com.

They’ll either say yes or they’ll be oh well let me give you a better one and then that’s when you write that real email down or you can say or would you like me to text it to you this is your phone number and that’s how you can make sure that you’re that the phone numbers right.

That’s pretty much what I do now if it’s a you know luxury property and it’s a big deal then sometimes we go all out for the open houses but for your standard single-family home probably under seven hundred under eight hundred thousand, you know this will get you through.

Something that a lot of agents have asked me is do I have music plan how do have music playing because I think it’s so awkward just for it to be completely silent because if you’ve ever hosted an open house you know that there is not all the time just like a crowd of people in there and they’re mingling and talking like it could get like really awkward and silent. Thank Your if you have any questions comment down below.