I prepare for my open house at the beginning of the week. I write out plan to follow and start by making up a list of the neighbors homes in the immediate area. I take a few hours a day or two before and I walk to those homes leaving them a small gift and a card letting them know I am doing an open house and if they know anyone looking to buy here is an opportunity for a friend as a neighbor.
My next step is to put together my market analysis of the area showing all the comparable listings and sold homes in the area. At the same time I put together a creative plan for showing the home and develop and gather flyer's to pass out. The last thing i do is put together my information board showing where all these houses are in relation to my listing.
Very important is to map out where all my signs go so that I can direct people to my open house. I will drive all around the area trying to visualize where the best spots are to put my 8 to 10 signs. I try to make sure they are in an unobtrusive area where no one can knock them over and they are the most visible.
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Now comes the day of the open house. I prefer to start at noon and go till four. I will change times only if there is a special event on TV that may detract from drawing clients. I leave my house at least an hour before I have the open house scheduled. I start by setting out my signs then I get to the house and my flag goes right up in front of the home. I put my flyers in key areas of the home which are all personalized with my information. One of the special things i do is to make up photo quality cards that may point out specialties of the home such as custom cabinetry. I check all the rooms to make sure they are secure and lights are on and no valuables are left out. I am now ready to go.
Now the fun begins! I wait for people to come to my door, I greet them as they come in handing them a business card and a flyer describing the home I am showing. I will politely ask them to sign my guest book at the request of the homeowner and ask them at this time if they have a realtor they are working with. I encourage people to walk through the house and get a feel for it. When they are close to seeing all of the home I approach them and ask them if this house is what they are looking for. If I can strike up a dialog I try to get a feel if they are serious buyer or neighbors looking. I still give them the same attention because you never know when they may want to buy or sell or know someone who is.
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