Find More Clients with Open Houses
Are you looking for more clients? If you said yes…then I have a solution for you! Two words – OPEN HOUSE. When you hold an open house the right way, you are setting yourself up for success and new clients.
Every time you have an open house you need to treat it like a job interview. When you prepare to go to a job interview at your favorite company, what do you do? Do you prep? Of course! You learn everything there is to know about the company - their history, growth, employees, management, everything. An open house is no different. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has found that 60% of open house attendees are sellers look for their next listing agent. Yes, I said sellers. For a seller it is easier to attend several open houses and see who is the most knowledgeable about the area, neighborhood, schools and local shops. When they have narrowed it down to a couple of agents, then they conduct full interviews. This is a time savings for the seller, but it means you have to be on-your-game every time.
As mentioned above an open house is a job interview. The prep work needs to be put in at least a week before the open house. Start by finding the right house:
- In an area you know
- A price range you are comfortable with
- A house that is ready to sell.
After locating the perfect house, learn everything you can about the other houses in the area currently for sale and recently sold. When an open house guest asks about the cute 2-story for sale on the next block, you should be able to rattle off everything about it. Learning about it includes setting up a preview and physically walking through the house. You should have seen the interior of all the current active listings within a ½ mile radius of the open house. Doing this type of homework will make you an expert in the market.
Who better than the neighbors to help you sell the house? They might have a friend or family member that wants to move into the neighborhood, so invite them to attend. A couple of days before the open house walk the area and invite the neighbors to a “special preview” open house an hour before the real open house starts. This gives them the opportunity to be a “nosey neighbor” and also allows them to meet you. By having all the current stats on their area, such as, recent sales, days on market and average price, you will impress them with your knowledge. Show them you are a professional and know your market.
In today’s mobile friendly world, buyers are driving in their cars on a Sunday looking for open houses on their phones. The best app for buyers to find open houses quickly is the ReeceNichols app. With the swipe of a finger a buyer can see all the houses that are currently being held open right around them. It is a real-time search that allows the consumer to have all the details about the home before they arrive.
If you are looking for more clients, start holding open houses. Treat the open house like a job interview and do your homework. Know your market, stats and inventory. Use these tips and you will have success!
