With sales down nationally, you may find you have less listings than you used to. This means you need to leverage EVERY listing to its fullest potential, maximizing exposure to maximize your opportunities to gain both buyer clients AND more listings!
11 Ideas To Level Up Your Open House Results
Open Sesame – Private Open For Neighbors – The neighbors always want to know what the house is selling for and what it looks like inside. We also know from experience that if one home is for sale in the neighborhood, there are likely to be a few more neighbors getting ready to sell. So take advantage of this with a “neighbors only” open house. Conduct it 30-60 minutes before the “public” open house. Send actual invitations (versus flyers or postcards). Better yet, doorknock and deliver invitations. Ask one of your vendors to donate a prize and mention the giveaway on your invite. Tell them to bring the invitation to be entered in the drawing.
Food Truck(s) – hire a food truck to come during the open house. Include this in the invitation to neighbors. Ice cream trucks also work!
Live music – Invite a local school choir to come sing or some student musicians to play. (They’ll likely bring their parents!)
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs – On Monday morning, install a sign rider at the house that says “OPEN SUNDAY”. On the day of the open house, install at least 25 directionals (assuming you are not violating any ordinances). And on the day of the open house, put balloons on the yard sign. Yes, we know that’s a lot. That’s the point!
Get Social – When you install the rider Monday, go live on Facebook and Insta, and record video/reels. Post Monday and use clips to post each day leading up to the open house.
Ask The Seller To Join the Party – Provide well written copy to the Seller for them to share on their personal socials, and for them to share in any Facebook/Next Door/email groups they are in. Ask them to also text their sphere. Better yet, ask them to share their SOI contact list with you so you can reach out on their behalf. (“Mr. Seller asked me to let you know – etc etc.” Now you’ll also have more folks in your database!)
Circle Prospect – Have your agents and/or ISAs call around the listing to let people know about the open house.
Sign In – Use this script as you greet each arrival: “Welcome to our Open House. The Seller has asked everyone to sign in.” Etc. (We like using a QR code and having them complete a simple JotForm or Google form if you don’t have a landing page from your CRM.)
Listing Presentation – Remember, the goal of an open house is NOT just to sell the house, and NOT just to pick up Buyers. It’s also to find new listings! Have a mini listing presentation display set up in the kitchen. If you have a “pre-listing package” you deliver to Sellers before listing appointments, this is ideal. Also have some printed packages people can take with them if they are thinking of selling. (You can also have a QR code set up so they can request your “Top Tips To Prepare Your Home To Sell”.)
Follow Up – This is the MOST important step. You should be emailing, calling and texting every attendee to thank them for coming, to get feedback AND MOST IMPORTANTLY to provide value. In order to provide value, it must be ABOUT THEM. The top producing agent on the team I led operations for did about $25 million year after year. Mostly from open houses. He was a great question asker. AND a great listener. Most people don’t buy the actual home being held open. So pay attention to what is important to them and continue following up until you have found what they need – especially if you can find something off market. (Same applies to potential Sellers.)
TimeBlock – When you schedule an open house, don’t just schedule prep time and open house time. Schedule your follow up time. That includes time for making notes in your CRM, setting up searches & drips on Sunday. And for calling, texting, emailing & hand written notes on Monday. “The fortune is in the follow up” is a cliche for a reason!
Cheers to leveling up your open house results like a boss!
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