Reaching Your Target Buyer

The most effective open house marketing plans are a blend of traditional and digital strategies. “Email, inviting the neighbors, signage, adding specific open house info into the MLS, and digital efforts like Facebook, realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia are the best ways to get the word out,” says O’Connor.

“Entering the open house data at the time the listing is activated allows for information to be distributed to the syndicate websites like Trulia or Zillow five to seven days prior to the event,” says McNamee. “I will also text past clients and friends who live in the neighborhood asking them to stop by and visit me even if they are not interested in purchasing. This gives me a chance to catch up and have some face time – and it makes it seem that there are more ‘interested’ people viewing the open house.”

Aggressively courting the neighbors can also go a long way to helping you get the word out.

“When we list a new property, we will invite the neighbors to an exclusive neighborhood open house,” says Ristine. “If the open house is from 1 – 3 p.m., we will host a neighbor open house an hour prior to the start.”

Building a Client Base

The goal of any open house is to make a sale. A painless sign-in process is the easiest way to get closer to a sale. An open house management app like Open Home Pro makes sign-in easy, identifies qualified buyers through a series of questions and automatically follows up with buyers after an open house.

“Have a registration table and require registration, along with accompanied home tours on regular intervals,” says O’Connor.

“Once the guests arrive, don’t be afraid to ask probing questions, such as how long have they been looking, how soon they plan to buy, and if they found the right house that day, what would they do,” says Ristine. “Those questions help to identity if their motivations are real.”

“At an open house, I usually take the approach that I am there to sell the house and not to pick up new clients,” says McNamee. “My first interaction is usually giving a few details about the listing, such as number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, unique features, when the seller purchased, what the seller loved about it and why seller is moving. I encourage the open house guests to make themselves at home, open closets and cabinets, and let them know I will be around for questions. Depending on the vibe I get from them, I may ask them to sign-in on Open Home Pro when they first walk in the door or I may wait until we are chatting at the end right before they are about to leave,” says McNamee.

While an offer is the best way to close out an open house, most successful agents are those who keep their pipeline full and who aren’t solely focused on the lowest hanging fruit – the sale right in front of them.

“Be knowledgeable of other properties in the same price range with similar amenities and be ready to show them even as soon as after the open house ends,” says O’Connor.