Open houses can be quite beneficial to real estate agents,prospective buyers, neighbors and sellers alike. A typical open house has some form of guest registration or way to get potential client's contact information. This mindset has had me torn over the years with why and how to gather guest information effectively without being too obtrusive. A fellow Keller Williams top agent spoke at our latest office meeting about open houses and she reaffirmed my longstanding belief that if you have what the buyers/sellers/guests are seeking, they will contact you if interested. It is sort of, let your actions do the talking. As Will Ferrell once said in Blades of Glory, our guest speaker was "mind bottling."
There are numerous ways to attempt to retrieve guest information. The first is the real estate agent's registration book. How many times have agents received fake names and numbers from guests? I highly doubt the actual Mickey Mouse or John Doe visited your open house. My wife and I have been home buyers in the past....and I'm guilty of falsify information so the agent wouldn't pester us. I have had minimal success with "forced" registration but did get a few clients in the past.
The second way is to get guests to sign in via a general feedback about the house form. This is one that I have not done mainly because I would rather discuss the home's negatives and positives with the guests after they have had a chance to walk through the place. I'm a firm believer that chatting with the guests will show off agent’s knowledge (of lack thereof) and their true personality.
The last means I have used to gather information is by having a raffle or drawing at my open houses. It's amazing how many guests will sign up for a drawing and provide their full contact information. Plus, you are giving the guests value of a prize and most like a little competition! Raffles have been beneficial as they offer a more memorable experience at my open house and will remember the house itself.
After our last office meeting, I have spent a few days reevaluating my open house system. I have had the most success of converting clients from past open house guests by just offering them pertinent information, great service and knowledge of the Lakeville area. I always provide my business card and written information at each open house and if I did my job, the guests will contact me for their future real estate needs. Please visit my Lakeville Luxury real estate site and my south metro home search site for added details.
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