If you dread wasting another Saturday away from your family in a lackluster open house, it’s only because you’re not capitalizing on the huge opportunities in front of you.
It’s up to you to make the most of your open houses. They can be goldmines if you handle them right.
I’ve got 13 ways to help you maximize your next open house and turn those “wasted Saturdays” into some of your most powerful marketing opportunities.
I also encourage you to download our free Open House Advantage bundle, which includes a script for what to say at your open house, ready-to-use sign graphics, a “5 Steps to Driving Maximum Traffic” guide and more.
3 tips to prepare for success
Throw a party. Don’t create another boring open house. Instead, think of it as a party! As part of an effective strategy, know your customer, your budget and who you’re trying to attract, and plan accordingly.
Plan your food and fun. To attract more people, hire a food truck to feed the masses and create a contest with an enticing prize, such as an iPad.
Send invitations. Just like you would for any party!
7 ways to attract the right people
Video invite. Shoot a video and email it to your entire database, past clients, sphere and current buyer and seller clients a week prior to the open house. Emphasize the experience and make it fun!
Connect with the neighbors. Doorknock surrounding homes to make a face-to-face connection with nearby homeowners and invite them to your open house party. By doing this, you’re planting the seed that you do things differently.
Targeted Facebook ads. Send your open house video to everyone within the home’s hyperlocal geographic area through targeted Facebook ads.
Tell your “story.” Create an Instagram story touting the fun, exciting open house you’re planning.
Make it worth their while. Send a video email the day before the open house featuring your prize giveaway.
Put signs everywhere. On the day of your open house, post as many signs as your community will allow!
Impress the prospects in your database. Call all those buyer and seller leads sitting in your database who “just aren’t ready yet” and personally invite them to your open house. When they arrive to witness how above and beyond you’ve gone for a typical open house, they’ll be impressed!
2 methods to capture the info
It doesn’t matter how many people you attract to your open house if you don’t capture their information. Here are two foolproof ways to ensure you get all the info you need:
- Use a digital open house tool such as Open Home Pro to have everyone sign in and capture their contact information that way.
- Have everyone fill out a “Select the Price” contest card. Explain this is how you’ll select the winner of your grand prize. The card should have spots for their name, cell phone number, email address and their guess of the selling price.
One script to turn the “nosy neighbors” into listings
Here’s my real estate script for generating more listings from every open house. When the neighbors show up, they’re inevitably going to ask, “Do you really think this place will sell for $X?”
There’s your opening. Here’s what you reply:
“We have [number] of buyers looking at the property, and from my experience, we’ll have created a bidding war by the end of this week. If we end up with five to seven qualified buyers, only one of them can win, so we’re going to have a handful of people willing and able to buy in this neighborhood. Have you given any thought to selling?”