The broker caravan can be one of the best ways to "get the word out" about your listing.  Most action-ready, qualified buyers are already working with an agent, so getting the agents through to see the property is one of the most important things to accomplish when putting a home on the market.

Depending on your service area, and how well attended the tours/caravans are in the area, there may be a ton of properties all open during the same two or three hours.  Your job is to make sure that your listing is not one that gets skipped.

I have found that having a single-family home in a desirable neighborhood is usually enough to warrant tour traffic.  But if your listing is a condo, or in a neighborhood that might not make the "A List," you will definitely need to get creative.  After all, there is only so much time, and the agents are going to see the properties they think will be the most worthy of their time.

How do you make your listing a priority?  The surest way I know is to feed your guests!  When entering your property on tour in the MLS, make a comment that lunch is served before you even describe the home.  In my area, the agents know they don't have to buy lunch on tour days, because this practice has caught on (in fact, I have heard of agents who only visit the homes that are serving food or refreshments).  The spreads vary from home-made sandwiches and sodas, to fully-catered events.  I've even been to some listings where they've had live music!

There is more than one benefit to serving food at your broker's open house.  Besides getting people through the door, they tend to stick around for at least the time it takes to eat.  The more time an agent spends in the house, the more they take in, and the more likely they will be to remember the home two weeks down the road when they meet the perfect buyer for it!  For this reason, I recommend this approach even on homes for which attendance won't be a problem.

But what if your sellers don't want food to be served?  Maybe they just had the carpets cleaned, and can't stand the idea of having 50 people eat lunch in their home.  In this situation, simply hold a raffle.  In the MLS open-house comments, suggest that everyone who stops by will be put into a drawing for a $50 gas card, movie tickets, or a restaurant gift certificate.