As the market tightens, I believe we're going to see more Open Houses being done. We need to be able to get people into our listings to show them the value that they have. With this in mind, do you do Open Houses? What do you do to prepare for your Open Houses? I do a few things, but would certainly like to know what works for other Realtors. Please add to the list those things that work for you and tell me why they work for you.
1. Make sure the Open House is advertised in all of the places you can. I place ads in the Homes magazine, the newspaper, on Localism (with a blog here, of course) and I announce the Open House on all of the internet sites I already have the ads placed.
2. I make sure this is the Featured Home on my website, www.wilkesbarrehomesales.com, for the week before the Open House and place it in my Current Events as well.
3. I give the seller two weeks notice and a week before the Open House, I go by and check out the house. This gives me some face time with the seller, shows them that I am serious about selling their home and gives me the opportunity to give them a punchlist of things that still might need to be completed before the Open House.
4. I put up signs in the neighborhood the day before, pointing out the location of the Open House with the date and time.
5. I send out an MLS e-mail announcing my Open House two days before-hand so the other agents can notify their clients.
6. The day of the Open House, I arrive early and go through the house as if I was showing the house to a visitor, making sure to have the lights on in all the right places. I place listing brochures on the table by the entrance and a sign in sheet with plenty of pens on hand. I put out balloons and have candy available for people to grab as they come through.
Then I have the Open House. I have had great successes and I've had bombs. Overall, I've done well with Open Houses and enjoy doing them. What things do you think I could do differently or what have I missed altogether here? I look forward to your comments and suggestions.
Until next time...
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