Open House Tips for Real Estate Agents

Open House Tips for Real Estate Agents

When it comes to hosting an open house, there's so much more than just setting up open house signs and leaving the door unlocked. Whether you're a new real estate agent or a seasoned pro, we’ve outlined the best open house tips to help you maximize your marketing efforts, reel in potential homeowners, and boost your home sales. Here are some initial open house recommendations to get started:

• Clean and stage the listing: On open house day, the listing should be neat, tidy, and clean. Before any foot traffic makes its way through the house, have the homesellers declutter any visible areas and remove all personal items from view. Serious buyers need to visualize themselves living in the space, so depersonalizing it gives them a blank canvas.
• Greet open house attendees at the front door as they arrive. A warm greeting at the door provides an instant connection with the potential client and makes them feel more comfortable. Make sure the rooms are light, address any funky smells, take cleaning seriously, and serve refreshments - fresh-baked cookies are always a great choice!
• Upon entry, offer visitors a professionally printed pamphlet that outlines key points about the property along with your contact information. Experienced real estate professionals know that this simple flyer can leave a lasting impression, especially if it features a creative design and gives potential buyers not only more information about the property itself but a link to your real estate website along with your contact information, just in case they have questions (or even an offer).
• Be prepared. You'll likely need to answer questions about the property, the neighborhood, and the real estate market in general during the open house. Inevitably, some people will have questions like "what kind of upgrades have been made?" or "what's the square footage of the den?", so be sure to have the appropriate answers ready. If they do ask you something that you can’t answer confidently, take down their contact information with the promise that you’ll reach out with more information.
• Research the neighborhood beforehand. Prospective buyers who don’t live nearby will likely have the most questions about what this property’s location means for their lifestyle. What schools, restaurants, or recreational activities can you promote during your open house event?
• Gauge the interest of the visitors as they leave the home. Leaving a lasting impression makes all the difference in future contacts and real estate leads.
• Exchange contact information with all your visitors. Encourage them to follow you on all your social networks so that you can keep them on your radar for future homebuying prospects and vice versa.

Ask your visitors if they would like more information about new listings in the area. After your open house, be sure to enter all your new contacts in your Listing Village website and set up drip campaigns. Stay top of mind with consistent communication that will result in your next commission.