... that IS the question many real estate agents are asking themselves lately.  Are open houses effective?  Some agents say no, others say yes... many more are just not sure at all!  It's my opinion that open houses are as effective as YOU want them to be, and there's a few ways to increase traffic and results from your open houses.

Be informative.  Know things about the house that aren't in the MLS sheet!  What are the average utility bills?  That's a HUGE consideration when purchasing a house!  So there's a new roof - when was it installed?  The seller's idea of "new" might not be your buyer's idea of new!  What are the local attractions around the neighborhood, such as parks, shopping, and services?  If you have to drive forty-five minutes for groceries, that might be a turn-off for some buyers.

Have a guest register.  This is big!  Requesting that all visitors sign in gives you a chance to follow up with them.  It's also hard to develop a rapport with someone if you don't know their name!  In addition, it gives you the chance to find out if they're working with another agent without directly asking them - a plus if the buyer's already got his/her guard up!  If you're finding it difficult to get people to sign in, tell your visitors that the seller requests the registration.  (You might want to make sure that the seller is in agreement on this.)

Invite the neighbors.  This has been SO effective in my market!  I usually set aside an hour before the actual open house is scheduled for a neighbors-only "sneak peek."  I prefer hand-delivered invitations to mailed ones for three reasons.  It gets you out in front of the buying and selling public.  Let's face it - these are the people who will be considering a move in the next few years.  The personal touch makes you memorable to them!

Another reason why in-person invitations are better is that the neighbors are more likely to show up.  You would, too, if you knew you weren't going to be forced to deal with a high-pressured sales pitch.  So why do you want the neighbors there?  They may already know the perfect buyer for your house!

The final reason to hand-deliver invites is because very few agents would do it!  It makes your marketing program unique and shows that you go the extra mile.  I have a testimonial on my website from a seller who loved this personal touch.  They could tell that I really cared about them, and they recognized that I was working hard to get their home sold - and one of the reasons why is simply because I hand-delivered my open house invitations!

Have FUN.  Okay, I'm not a stick-in-the-mud who doesn't know how to have fun.  Everything so far has sounded like work - and there IS a lot of work to a successful open house.  It's also important to make it fun... fun for the buyers, fun for the neighbors, and fun for YOU!  You could do this in a variety of ways:

• An open house "theme" to set the mood.  Example:  "Beach Blanket Bingo" for a summertime theme.  Give your open house visitors a bingo card that lists special features of the home for them to "find."
• A modified "scavenger hunt."  Example:  Hide little houses in various places (where you want to draw the buyer's attention!) and have them jot down the location of the hiding place when they have found it.
• Be the host/ess with the most/est.  Freshly baked cookies are a great snack to serve.  Not only does it provide a bite for the buyers, it also makes the house smell wonderful!

The important thing in having your open house is to be original!  Make yourself memorable and you'll see results... in increased sales and more listings.  You might even enjoy what you do just a little bit more!