Home : Blogs : Lanre Folayan DC & PG County MD homes for sale : DC Petworth Homes for Sale

At open houses,should I give everyone my business card?

So you are having a open house house for one of your listings or for either your fellow agent or broker. A couple walks through the door. They view the property. After they finishing viewing the house,you ask them. What do you think of the house? The couple loves it. So you then ask them "Are you working with a real estate agent? They say yes. But we all know that everybody that comes to your open house are not working with a real estate agent

They just say that because they do not want to be bothered by real estate agents. So I want to know,should I still give them my business card? I say that because I don't want to be unethical. But at the same time,I don't want a couple who is probably a potential client to walk away. So what should I do to approach this situation and not be unethical? Is there a better way that I can handle this situation/ If you was my situation,what would you do? Any advice,tips or suggestions will be very helpful. Thank you very much for all of your comments in advance.

To receive a free list of "Houses for sale in Washington DC",please feel free to give me a call at your earliest convenience. I can be reached at (202) 378-0283 (Direct) or (301) 560-6700 x1154 (Office). I can also be reached online at www.buyandsellnewhomes.com and www.freelistofhomesforsale.com. Thank you very much. Lanre Folayan - Real Estate Professional - Exit Premier Realty. Looking forward to working with you and helping you make your home purchase a stress free and very happy one. Have a great day. "Buy and sell a home in Washington DC"

Mr "DC REAL ESTATE GUCCI MAN"

Posted by Lanre Folayan DC & PG County MD homes for sale on 02/28/2008 11:38 PM

Comments (9)

buy a home in washington dc, buy a home in maryland, exit residual income, exit realty professional lanre folayan

Originally posted at: DC Real Estate and Area Events: At open houses,should I give everyone my business card?

Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: More Referrals: Strategies & Tips on Getting More Referrals
Post is included in group: You've GOT to be kidding
Post is included in group: Branding yourself while you Market your listings
Post is included in group: Rainmaking - Internet Marketing Strategies

9 Comments on At open houses,should I give everyone my business card?

FEB

2008

"Are you working with another agent?" Oh, you are? Great! Well, here's my card just in case your agent has any questions about the property!...

Thank you very,very much. I love that answer. I can't think of a better answer than that. Thanks a lot.

I love Rich's answer above and think it works perfectly.

I try not to ask the question directly as people tend to respond honestly if they are caught off guard and don't have time to think about their answer. It's sort of like being asked, "Can I help you?" when shopping - we almost always say "Just looking" if the question comes too soon, even though later we wish we had some help.

If someone expresses an interest in the property, I usually say "Could I get your agent's name so I could keep her/him updated on the property?" If they say they are not working with an agent, I hand them a card and say, "if I can help in any way, here's my contact info. By the way, if you like, I can email you any other listings in the neighborhood if you'd like." I take a low key approach, but that is just what works for me.

I would give them my card with the direction to call their agent and have them call me! That way if they aren't really working with anyone they have your contact information. And, if they are, you aren't doing anything wrong except trying to get the other agent to contact you.

I haven't held an open house in years, but I used to try to give visitors something useful that coincidentally has my name and contact info on it.

An example might be this: one page of a book printout from MRIS (contains 9 homes) of other properties in the area (including some priced lower), and let them know there you could email more details about the properties, and include some additional ones, if they like - which gives you their email address and, of course, an opportunity to find out what they'd like (bedrooms, price range, etc.) I'm more comfortable doing this than passing out a card because it gives an opportunity for two-way communication AND giving them something of value to them.

MAR

2008

Susan - Thank you so much. After they tell me what they think or how they feel about the property,am going to ask them to give me their real estate's agent name so that I can update on the property. I am definitely going to start doing that now.

Sandra-I like that a lot. Just wanted to make sure I am not doing something wrong. I want to change my approach when I start doing open houses this spring. Thank you very much.

Margaret -I am definitely going to do that. Thank you very much again Margaret for giving me another great tip.

You have to take people at their word. One day you will also be too busy to tend to all of your buyers, and would like for fellow agents to respect your relationship when one them trips into an open house. The question as framed by your first respondent is perfect.

Lanre,

I just ask them to pass it on to their Agent for reference....and put the house address on the card. If they have an Agent, they will not be offended by that approach...if not they have your card and the property address for reference.

Chris -I agree with you. Its a small world. You never know what real estate agent you might run into. Thanks for your comments.

Dan - Absolutely. They shouldnt be offended. Thank you for your comments.

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?