Marketing to the local real estate agents is one of the easiest way to get your listing sold. They are working with the Buyers we need to complete the job we have contracted for with our Sellers - in short - Sell The House. So how do we get them out of thier offices to preview our listings? The most common way seems to be the Broker Open House. After all if you feed them - they will come. My favorite menu for a Broker Open House is one where the leftovers can be used at home and not just thrown away. Also it needs to pass the test of attracting attention from other real estate agents in the area. Hot Chicken Lunch with Pie sounds like a big meal but is actually very cost effective and easy to pull together. It can all be served in an 18qt. electric roasting oven with buffet inserts. This makes a mini steam table to keep everything hot and allow for easy serving. Ask permission of your Seller to use their microwave to warm food and oven to bake the pie. Sometimes the pie is ready for the agents and sometimes it's purpose is to make the house smell great. It all depends on your schedule that day. I usually leave the pie behind for the Seller's to enjoy. Depending on the Seller I have also be known to leave behind a plate for every member of the family for them to enjoy when they get home from work and school.
Before your Broker Open send out flyers to all the agents in your area by email, fax or postcard. Consider sending a special invite to the Top 10% of Buyer agents in the area letting them know you are inviting them because they are in the Top 10%. Send your first flyer 5-7 days in advance and then send again 1-2 days before the event. I always include the detailed menu for this Hot Lunch Special.
- Hot Chicken with Gravy
- Fresh Mashed Potatoes
- Vegetable (I like peas but use the vegetable you like)
- Cranberry Sauce
- And PIE
Chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetable, cranberry sauce and pie is the menu so let's break it down to what you need.
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 2-3 roaster chickens pre-cooked in the deli aisle
- 2-4 jars chicken gravy
- Make your own mashed potatoes (I like to make mine with heavy cream instead of milk) or buy pre-made potatoes
- 1 bag frozen microwave vegatables of choice
- 1-2 cans cranberry sauce
- 1 frozen pie
- 2-3 liters of soda or lemonade with cups
The night before pull all the meat off the chickens and put it in one of buffet servers pour 1-2 jars of gravy over the chicken, cover over with Press and Seal wrap and put in the refrigerator. Use the extra gravy to heat up on site and bring your chicken to hot faster. If you have extra chicken put in glass bowl in case you need to heat it up in a microwave.
Make you mashed potatoes and also store in another one of the buffet servers.
You will need to give yourself an hour to get the food ready on site.
The vegetables can be heated up on site very quickly.
Open the cranberry sauce and serve on the side. I get more comments on the cranberry sauce touch than anything else.
Put the pie in the over with the disposable oven liner as soon as you arrive. Don't worry if it is not ready when the agents arrive - them smell alone will bring warm smiles.
Now that the food is ready don't forget to put out plenty of signs with ballons or flags, call the surrounding offices to remind them of your hot lunch special, set out your Broker Price Opinion surveys with plenty of pens so that you can get feedback on your property and the price. Once everything is ready to go don't forget to sit down and enjoy Hot Chicken Lunch yourself.
Sailing out to sea from the Piscataqua River in New Castle NH
Shannon Aldrich, Keller Williams Coastal Realty Portsmouth, NH
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