As many agents are aware, it is very important to hold open houses. For some agents they are new to the area and are looking for ways to market themselves and find potential buyers or sellers without representation. For most other agents it necessary to hold open houses to bring traffic to their listing and receive people's feedback about the property to alert their seller client.
Regardless of the need to hold an open house here are some great tips to assure you have a successful open house!
Tips For A Successful Open House
Days leading up to the open house make sure to market the open house. You will want to schedule the open house in MLS first most. When doing this your listings open house will show on many sites such as Zillow and Redfin and will show the day and time of the open house. Next you will want to post about the open house in Facebook groups relating to real estate in the area your home is located in. You can also make an event on Facebook as well alerting your friends and followers of the open house. Another wonderful idea for marketing your open house is going around the neighborhood the home is located in. The day prior knock-on neighbor's doors and introduce yourself as the agent holding an open house at the house for sale in their neighborhood and inviting them to come 30 minutes before the open house is set to start to make them feel like VIP's. This is also a great way to introduce yourself to many people and hopefully to making connections to possibly helping them buy/sell a home in the future!
So, it's the day of the open house!
Make sure you have plenty of open house signs and place them where at major cross streets and make sure they are visible to cars driving by but also don't block any sidewalks. Anywhere between 4-6 signs is good but you can always add more! Just make note of exactly where you put your signs, so you don't lose them!
Here are some things I suggest having at your open house to really set it apart from other open houses!
decorations
property detail report
open house kit through a title company
attractive flyers for the property with pictures if possible
drinks
candy or pastries
your own business cards
a table and chair
music
When doing an open house decorations are not completely necessary but it is a way to elevate your open house and
set them apart for other open houses in the area going on at the same time! It can be as simple as having fresh or fake flowers in a vase to having your own banner up on the wall. Get creative!
Make sure you have a specific spot where all the property info is located including the open house kit materials, property flyers, property descriptions, business cards, guest sign in, and open house feedback cards for you to report back to the seller off the home. If you have multiple listings, it's not a bad idea to have another separate spot set up just for that so it can draw attention to your other listings!
This isn't completely necessary but having a refreshment and treat counter set up is a great way to have your guests leaving the open house feeling like they were pampered! At the very least have water bottles ready to grab for your open house guests!
Set up a table with a decorative tablecloth and chair so while you wait for people to flood into the open house you can get some work done and respond to emails!
Don't forget to bring a Bluetooth speaker! There is nothing worse than an empty quiet house, so fill up the empty house with music that can set the mood for people to want to put offers on your listing!
Final Tips:
Try not to hover over guests, let them roam without you following and ask for their feedback when they are done
try not to work an open house alone for safety reasons
bring a broom, hand soap, toilet paper, cleaning spray, and paper towels for cleanup
Written by Amanda Bacolas of Long Realty West Valley