Here is Part II in my discussion about Open Houses based on my experiences of doing open houses in the Phoenix real estate market. Click to read The Art of the Open House Part I.
Getting into the actual meat and potatoes as to how you do an open house, I have included my insights, tips, and practices here in Part II.
Open House Attire
I generally dress business casual (dress slacks, button shirt, no tie) when doing open houses. I have tried a more casual look (short sleeve button shirt, jeans, nice shoes) but in the end, I opt for being dressed for success. It sends the signal that you are serious and professional in what you do. Like dinner parties, it is better to be overdressed than underdressed. And when you look good, you act the same as well.
Marketing An Open House
The fact is that traffic to an open house is really determined by the signage you put out and the traffic on the roads that see those signs. Though I have posted on Craigslist before and taken out newspaper ads, these largely don’t work. It’s the people that happen to be driving by with interest in seeing an open house.
Open House Signage
I have had as many as 12 signs in my trunk to deploy. Even though I might have only needed as few as six based on access to the property, I make it a point to deploy every sign I have in the hopes of attracting visitors. As well, if it is windy out, having multiple signs in an intersection or elsewhere gives me a backup should any get blown over.
I have used balloons attached to the signs on occasion and have had mixed results with them. If I am going to use these, I might use them on a couple of open houses for a property only though I might end up doing more open houses than that. I have talked to another Realtor who swears by them and that she always got more traffic using them. My experience is that I like to test them from time to time. However, I might spend as much as $15.00 on balloons for a single open house. This isn’t much money but the balloons aren’t something I am can use a second time. As well, here in the Phoenix area in the summer time, the heat will destroy balloons quickly. And if is windy, then you can expect some to pop as they get tossed around and hit the sign, tree or other nearby object. Finally, when I do do balloons, I like the big ones. The drawback is that my vehicle becomes so full of them that I can’t easily see around me and could become a hazard. So, balloons have some purpose but I don’t believe they have clear value to do every time.
“Foreclosure Open House” signs are effective when you are sitting an open house at a foreclosure property. I recommend them. These can be simple metal frames that you poke into the ground. The fact is that foreclosure properties are what is attracting open house visitors right now, so by all means call out what it is people are looking for.
Sign-in Sheets
I like using sign-in sheets with visitors. From a client perspective, the sign-in sheet is helpful in that you will have a visitor’s information in case there is solid interest in the property and you want to follow-up with them. It’s pretty easy to explain that the owner has requested that everyone sign in or that you need a visitor to sign in for security reasons. Most people will. When doing an open house, I will typically write in the first entry and will complete all the fields. If you do this, you will find that the next visitor is more likely to completely sign in and not leave anything out. Make sure to watch the sheet with each visitor to make sure that the pattern doesn’t get broken.
Refreshments
I have tried various refreshments at open houses and here is what I have found:
- Bottled water - I think that bottled water is really the best overall, especially here in the desert. No matter what the brand, people will appreciate bottled water.
- Candy - Visitors barely take advantage of it when I have brought it.
- Baked cookies - If they are freshly baked and soft, some visitors will take advantage of them. However, I would say that less than half do. Freshly baked is more likely to be eaten in my opinion unless the bagged cookies are really good ones. I have brought in Girl Scout cookies before and barely had any takers.
Now, I can’t say whether offering refreshments actually yielded any better results for the open house in terms of interest or leads so I would say that their use is entirely a ‘nice to do.’
Neighbors Versus Drive-bys
I like having both come to my open houses. Neighbors are great because they might tell you something about the home or neighborhood that you might not have known that would be useful as a selling point. And whether I am in Avondale, Glendale, Scottsdale, or Chandler, neighbors always have something worthwhile to add. As well, there may be some off-chance that a neighbor knows someone (a friend or relative) who is interested in living in the community.
Stay tuned for The Art of the Open House: Part III
Email this Post
