With the coronavirus still a major concern for the public, it’s tough to get much practice at the art of holding an in-person open house. But agents may find this pause gives them an opportunity to revamp their showing style or brush up on some of the best practices when it comes to hosting great open houses. AgentEDU, a program created by Chicago Agent magazine’s parent company, Agent Publishing, offers several courses on this topic at a variety of levels. Here’s a preview of what you’ll find; check out the whole suite of courses at AgentEDU’s website. 

The essential information:

Holding an Open House 101
Open houses can provide a great opportunity to generate new leads, network with other agents, and connect more deeply with the neighborhood. You may want to use different types of open houses depending on your circumstances. In this course, you’ll learn how to make the open house a very effective tool for your business.

“Simply announcing the open house in the MLS and putting up a sign the day of the event just doesn’t cut it anymore.”

Advanced courses:

How to Attract Quality Attendees to Your Open House
Serious agents use top-level marketing techniques to make the most of every open house. This course digs into the three steps to attracting quality attendees to your open houses: Locating your target attendees, crafting effective outreach techniques and creating the right message for each audience.

“You may also want to invite people who have reached out to you but have not signed on with you yet. An open house will give you the chance to reach out again, even if it’s just to show them how you work.”

Seven Steps to a Successful Open House
A results-oriented open house is a carefully orchestrated event. There is much more going on behind the scenes than most people realize. In this course, you’ll learn which tasks should be part of every open house plan and how to undertake them for a successful open house every time.

“Be prepared to give each attendee a complete, sales-oriented tour of the property. … Keep in mind that every potential buyer will have different needs and desires.”

Master classes:

How to Generate Leads With Open Houses
Thirty percent of open house visitors will buy a house within 90 days. An open house is essentially a networking event packed with visitors in your target market. In this course, you will learn how to use open houses to build your business, get new clients and strengthen relationships.

“If you watch the most successful agents, you’ll see that — although they may not attend every single open house — they’ll usually attend the ones with the most potential to attract high-quality connections.”

How to Create a Unique Open House for a Luxury Property
Selling a truly unique luxury property requires a more focused approach and a more sophisticated touch. Clients whose homes are worth many millions expect special measures will be taken to market their property. In this course, you’ll learn whether the property warrants a special event and, if so, some of the ways that you can host a unique event to showcase a special property.