For a while now my best clients are still coming from my open houses. While I am building my on-line presence which is a long term project, my business is coming from other business development events such as open houses, working the phones, farming, etc... I have started to 
get a real focus on my open houses and proactively secure them in advance. This tale is about doing four open houses in a three week period all here in Frisco Texas.
Pay Attention
Part of doing a good job on an open house is paying attention to your guests. I noticed this couple that attended one of my open houses which was in a lower priced home around $200,000. They really were looking at everything in great detail. They patiently waited if I was busy and asked me questions about the home and the market. They graciously filled out a contact form and I continued to work the open house.
I made my contacts to everyone who attended within the first two days and heard back from a few but not too many. This is not unusual and never deters me from moving on to the next one and nurturing the contacts continuously.
Repeat Visitors
The following Saturday and Sunday I held two open house in a different neighborhood in Frisco where the homes were both in the $400,000 price range. This usually brings about a different group of people but you never know. In fact both days I saw this same couple. While they did not ask me as many detailed questions, they did hang around and they seemed to keep close to the heart of the home where I tended to be. I did not think about it as I was focused on all my guests.
Shopping For An Agent Versus A Home
It never occurred to me that people would shop for an agent like they shopped for a house. Towards the end of the third open house I learned a lot more. She is retired and he is about to retire from his law firm. They are close to empty nesters but today does that ever really happen until much later. However, they are ready to downsize and travel. It turns out that the first open house was along the lines of what they wanted to move to and purchase. The other two homes were along the lines of what they currently live in and would want to sell.
When they saw me at the first open house they were really pleased with not only how I treated them but the others. That got their curiosity going but being competent selling a home at lower
levels is certainly different than selling higher end homes. Then they saw me at the next home which was in the upper $400K range. They listened a little more closely. I let them know about the open house I was going to hold open the next day (Sunday) which was not far away. It turns out they lived very close to both of these.
It was this third open house that they asked me to help them in their purchase (they did not even mention the home for sale yet.) Here was my opportunity. Without even knowing I was being interviewed during my open houses, it appears I was because this couple used that time to determine that I was the right agent for them. When a relationship starts this way their is no other way for this to go but to a successful conclusion.
Conclusion
I spent part of my next 10 days showing and previewing homes for them in Frisco, Little Elm, and Mckinney. You see Frisco schools were their focus due to resale ability. I listened to what they were looking for and they trusted me to find the right home for them. I gave them additional suggestions and before I knew it they had viewed some new homes and decided to purchase a beautiful home in a different location than they originally thought. Yes they went without me to a new builder. I was not concerned at all. As much as they trusted me I trusted them. Sure enough I was listed as their real estate agent without a question.
In addition, they now wanted to sell their home and without anything being said they asked me to bring the paperwork and get the process started. What a great way to get business. Working open houses is work but work that I enjoy. When you are prepared, treat people with respect, and show them your sincerity and competence, only good things happen. You never know who is watching and interviewing you while you are working.
I love clients who do their due diligence. When they start to inquire about me whether directly or indirectly, they learn that when you are a client of mine - Your Success is My Focus
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