Open Houses Can Be Fun!

A few months ago, I did an open house in Sylmar, California (City of Los Angeles), just north of the 210 Freeway.  The home was vacant with no furniture or staging.  After opening up for the 2-5pm showing, I did my usual set up of flyers and sign in logs on the kitchen counter.  After inspecting the property, I was ready for business.  I even dressed for the occasion, which was jeans, blue shirt and boots.  The house sat on a 20,000 sqft lot and was zoned for horses.  In Sylmar, owning horses was common.  An equestrian center was located nearby, so it was not uncommon to hear galloping hoofs passing by.  The center was located near the foothills and folks from the surrounding areas would frequently bring their horses for a relaxing ride on the trails.  The weekends would bring the most crowds in the area.  

Prior to pulling into the drive way, I noticed a gentleman training his horse on the corner.  He was standing in the middle of a small dirt track and guiding his horse around in a circle.  I walked over, stepped onto the dusty track, introduced myself, gave him a flyer and invited him to my open house.  He took my flyer, read it and said that he would ask around to see if there was someone interested in buying.  Ok, I said with a smile.  I shifted the subject to his horse, which was a topic of interest.  He proceeded to tell me that he breeded stallions.  I asked if the horse bite.  He said no, so I started petting the animal.  I let the owner talk about himself and the neighborhood.  You find out alot of information that way.  Prior to returning to my open house, I gave him a business card and politely asked for a referral. 

Throughout the three hours, I had a steady flow of people.  Interest was high for the property, but I added an additional twist.  When I heard a horse galloping down the street, I ran out with a flyer and yelled excuse me!  I'm having an open house today.  Would you like a tour?  Would you believe a few people dismounted their horses and came in for a look?  I even picked up a few phone numbers, which helped to increase my database.  Who says you have to stay in the home and wait for potential customers?  Invite the neighbors, even if they are on horseback.  Have fun.  Look for new ways to generate business and again be safe out there!