All I Know About Open Houses 2007/2026

 

All I Know About Open Houses
Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, 2/22/2007

TAKE NOTE, the original Nugget was written in 2007.  Due to a recent incident in our area I thought it would be good to post it again in 2026.  

“Open Houses” do not work the old pro said to the new agent. “They are just a waste of time!”

There is some truth that statement if you conduct your open houses like 80% or more of the industry does. The 80/20 principle is alive and well in everything we do but especially in conducting open houses. If you want to achieve what 80% of the industry achieves, then do what the 80% do. If, on the other hand, you want to make open houses work for you, then find out what the 20% do that do 80% of the production and then do what they do. 

What have I learned about conducting open houses? The most important thing is that if no one knows you are holding a home open, no one will come. Imagine that. You must tell people you are holding a home(s) open for them to show up. It is NOT a case of “build it and they will come” as Kevin Costner was told in Field of Dreams. If you do not promote your open house, imagining people attending will be a dream. 

The location of a home being selected for an Open House is critical. If you are holding a very rural country style property open, you should expect a low turnout only because of its location and the fact that there are fewer buyers interested in rural properties. But even these can be fruitful if you plan. 

The question you need to ask is “Why am I considering holding a home open?”  Appeasing the seller is not a valid reason to conduct an open house. Meeting prospects is. You can do nothing to promote your open house and still meet a prospect or two by accident. You can meet more probable buyers and sellers by creating an open house plan and then working the plan. If you feel you need to appease your owners by holding an open house, you failed to teach them during the listing presentation. You are either in favor of holding homes open or you are not. It has been my experience that a lot of agents choose not to hold open houses because they had a bad experience in the past or were taught to believe they do not work. 

I can tell you from experience that they do work if your objective is to meet people and put them into your database. If you think you are going to sell the home you are holding open, the odds are not in your favor. Personally, I liked to hold open houses because it put me in touch with a lot of people who will eventually sell their present home. Any time you can get face-to-face with a probable buyer or seller you are in a win-win situation. 

PROMOTION: 

How will you promote the event? Here are some suggestions: 

·     Most MLS systems can list the open house on the service; do so.

·     Most web pages can post upcoming open houses; do so.

·     Most newspapers have special sections to promote open houses; use them.

·     Promote the open house within your own office.

·   Check to see which agents have recently shown the property and send them an email announcing that the home will be open.

·    Notifying the neighbors is a must. If you are holding the home open on a Sunday, walk the neighborhood with door hangers and flyers. Knock on at least twenty doors to the right, twenty to the left and forty across the street (figuratively speaking). Be prepared to spend a couple of hours knocking on doors. When someone is home, introduce yourself, hand them an open house flyer and personally invite them to your open house. Get their name if possible and make sure you do two things:  (1) write them a handwritten thank you note for taking the time to talk with you; and, (2) enter them into your database and start your 8x8 touch program that leads to your 33 touch program.  If no one is home, use the door hanger to invite the owners to your open house.

·  An often overlooked is notifying your personal sphere of influence that you are holding a home open. Let your sphere know what you do and how often you do it. And do not forget to ask them for a referral when you do.

·   Consider hiring someone to pass out flyers at a local shopping center.

·    If there are bulletin boards in area stores, post your open house flyer.

·   If there is a subdivision newsletter, ask to include your scheduled open house on the next distribution and schedule your subdivision open houses around the distribution of their newsletters to take advantage of the timing. 

THE IN-HOUSE PLAN: 

What are you going to do in the house on the big day? Here are some suggestions: 

• Arrange with the owners still live in the home, arrange for them to vacate the home for the duration of the open house. You want visitors to be able to discuss the home freely with you which they will not if the owners are still present.
• Arrange with the owners to secure valuables, medication and firearms and ensure that they are completely out of site.
• Instruct the owners that if anyone shows up and knocks on the door BEFORE you arrive and BEFORE the scheduled open house time NOT TO LET THEM IN. Recommend that they return when you are present. This is for the owner’s safety because someone who desires to case the property with the intent of stealing or doing harm may use the excuse that they are “early” to gain access – not a good thing to let happen. If they are serious buyers, they will return.
• Instruct the owners that the home needs to look its best. Things need to put away. Pets should be removed whenever possible. Not all people like pets and you do not want the prospects to be discouraged due to an overactive puppy or cat.
• Open all drapes and blinds and let the sunshine in.
• Turn on all lights – make the home look as bright as possible.
• Consider baking something that makes the home smell good like an apple turnover. Buyers tend to “name” the homes they have seen like “the home with the broken window,” “the home with the pet smell,” “the home with the great landscaping,” or “the home that smelled like fresh baked apple pie.”  You want them to leave with a favorable memory.
• Are you going to have refreshments? If so, what? You do not want to make a mess in the home so keep the refreshments simple and easy to dispense. You do not want to become a chef and have all your time taken up with fixing plates for prospects. Clear whatever you are going to do with the owners.
• If you use a Home Book, make sure it prominently displayed.
• Consider using acrylic brochure boxes to professionally display your property flyers and personal brochures.
• Have your notebook computer or the owner’s computer ON and logged into the MLS so you can easily demonstrate to prospects the available properties in the area as well any sold properties that would put your property in “good light” with the prospects.
• If you have a notebook and you have a program like Formulator that has the forms needed to write a purchase agreement, you will look most professional when someone shows interest and wants to write an offer.
• Have an adequate supply of business cards.
• Decide in advance what you are prepared to give to visitors to your open house: 

1. Buyer Orientation Booklet
2. Seller Orientation Booklet, remember most buyers are also sellers
3. Staging your home for success booklet
4. The new Keller Williams First Time Homebuyers Book
5. Selling Your Own Home instructional booklet

Note:  It would be wise to have only samples available and instruct the visitors that you can provide them with copies by mail – gives you a reason to obtain names, addresses, and phone numbers. 

SAFETY: 

• For YOUR safety, unlock all exit doors and know where they are.
• Create a sign, laminate it, and put a cord through it so you can hang it on the front door that reads, “Please be patient, I am showing the property and will return in just a few minutes.”  Then when you are showing the property, lock the front door to keep people out until you are ready for them. There are thieves that wait for you to be busy with real buyer prospects, and then let themselves in and tell you, “That’s okay, I’ll just look around here in the living room while you are showing the house.” Then when you leave the area, they make themselves at home. This procedure is especially true if you are a woman holding a home open.
• If you ever feel uncomfortable with a visitor to the home, make sure you stay between the visitor and an unlocked exit door.
• Always keep your cell phone very handy, just in case.
• If you feel uncomfortable with a visitor, act as if you are answering a call and talk as if you are talking to someone while at the same time dialing the office. Make sure your office number is on your speed dial.
• Notify the neighbors that you are going to be holding the home open and the hours you will be doing so.  Gives you the opportunity to add new people to your database.
• Women are strongly encouraged to team up for open houses. Ask newer agents to accompany you and explain why – there is safety in numbers plus you can use the opportunity to conduct some mentoring for the new folks in the office.
• Park your car on the street when possible and not in the driveway. You want the space available for your customers and more importantly, you do not want to be blocked in just in case you need to get away from the area quickly.
• There is a “game” that criminals play at open houses that you need to be aware of. They either work in teams or they wait for a real prospect to visit your open house. As soon as the prospects enter the home, they pull up in front and go in. By the time this occurs, you are busy showing the first prospects around the home. The second prospect (criminal) then goes through drawers and cabinets while you are busy with the other customer. Be careful, the people we allow into our open houses are unqualified and we know little about them. Trust them but not too much. 

GREETING VISITORS

Know what you are going to say to your visitors BEFORE they arrive at your open house. What exactly will you say? I would suggest that you officially welcome them to your seller’s home. “Welcome to 123 Maple Street (remember people tend to remember things when they can also ‘hear’ what is said). Please make yourself at home.”  Notice that I did not say to give the visitors your name. Chances are they have other things on their mind, so they are not going to remember it anyway. Besides, you should have your name tag on and most people can read.

• Do not shove a flyer or your business card in the customers face or hand. In fact, do not give them anything. You want to maintain eye contact and if you give them anything that requires reading, they will keep their heads bowed and their eyes on the paper instead of you. Giving a visitor a flyer, card and/or brochure should be the LAST thing you do when they are leaving the property not the FIRST.
• Hopefully, you will have a Sign-In sheet for visitors to sign. Tell them that the Seller has asked the visitors sign in on arrival and give their honest opinions upon their departure so they can make any necessary changes or adjustments to the property. On the bottom of the Sign-n sheet it is highly recommended that you include a Do Not Call disclaimer indicating that if they sign in, they are giving you permission to follow-up with them. Important note, people do not like to be the first to do something so it is highly recommended that you enter a name and a comment on the sign-in sheet so visitors will see that someone else has already signed the sheet and hopefully they will be less reluctant to do the same.
• Suggest that they make themselves at home. You may also suggest where they might want to start their tour. What you should NOT do is to try to sell the home to the visitors before you engage them in rapport building. How do you do that, you ask a lot of questions. The questions can qualify them as buyers, as sellers or as just lookers. Here are some questions that generate additional information for you to use:

 

1. Where are you from? If they are local, it quite possible they are neighbors and they may be thinking of selling. These could be great leads for listings. If they are from out of town, chances are they are great buyer prospects.
2. The first question could lead to other questions regarding transferring into the area. Where do they work, etc.
3. Are you working with an agent? This is a question required by the Realtors Code of Ethics. What do you say if they say yes? You have two choices; suggest that they contact their agent if they like the property. You can also ask, do you have a Buyer’s Agency Agreement with the agent? If they say yes, you may want to further ask, do you mean a Buyer’s Agency Agreement or the Agency Disclosure required by the State? If they have a Buyer’s Agency Agreement, recommend that they contact and work with their agent. If it is only a Buyer’s Agency Disclosure, it is up to you if you want to pursue working with them. Remember in either case, you owe it to your Sellers to get the home sold therefore do not lose sight of your objective. If the visitor IS working with another agent and they show interest in the home, call the agent, and let him or her know that their customer is there and interested.
4. Have you been looking long? What is long? Anything over a week or two should be long. A good agent would have already found them what they are looking for. If they have been looking for a long time you either have perpetual lookers, or they just have not found a good agent to help them – their search for a good agent is over!
5. What price range are you looking for?
6. Will you be paying cash or have you been pre-qualified by a mortgage lender?

 

During the tour of the home, you should ask questions more than provide information. If the visitors are not talking about the property, you may want to ask them how they feel about the living room, the den, the master bedroom, etc. Ask them how it compares to their present home. 

Remember your primary objective is to get their names, address and telephone numbers and email addresses if possible. 

At some point when you determine that the visitors are buyers, you want to explain how you can enter their names and email addresses into a computer that will notify them immediately when a new listing is placed on the market that meets their specific needs and wants.  It is automatic and quick – they may be the very first person to know that their next dream home has just gone up for sale. 

• Do you own your present home? Do you need to sell before you can buy your next home? Remember, a lot of visitors to open houses are first sellers. You want to list their home if possible. If they are from out of the area, you want to refer them to another agent and earn a referral fee in doing so.
• Would it be Okay if I stay connected with you? This is also their approval to call them even if they are on the Do Not Call List. 

HANDLING OBJECTIONS: 

As the visitors go through the home, hopefully they are talking and you are taking notes. If it becomes obvious that they are interested but have concerns, this is where you must go to work. Qualify the objection. Let us take for example that the visitors feel the master bedroom closet is too small. First you must define what “small” is. Ask them to describe their present master bedroom and closet space. Then ask them, “Mr. & Mrs. Prospect, if it were not for the closet size, would this home meet your needs?”  If they say yes, you know the closet size is the real issue. If they say no, there are other issues you must uncover. If their answer was yes, is there a way to overcome the size of the closet? For example, if there are other closets in the home, it may not be ideal, but the homeowners can put their winter clothes in another closet during the summer and vice versa. It may also be possible to install a piece of furniture that can accommodate their clothing. 

You are at the same time looking for feedback to provide your sellers. If there are enough negative comments, it may be ammunition for a price reduction or minor repairs to bring the home up to expectations such a painting over an unpopular color. 

The longer a prospect stays in the home, the higher the odds are that they are interested. One of the best signals is “lurking.”  Lerking occurs when the prospect simply spends an unusual amount of time in one area of the home like the kitchen, den, or patio. What are they thinking? Are they placing furniture or do they see themselves enjoying the home and its amenities? 

THE CLOSING 

Eventually every prospect will want to leave your open house. This is when you want to direct them to the kitchen area or the area where you have your refreshments and all your materials on display. Offer them the cookies, milk, coffee, or sodas and ask them to complete the sign in sheet with comments for the Seller. Remind them that if THEY were the Sellers, THEY would want to know what other people thought of their home, wouldn’t they? 

As they are getting ready to leave, this is when you want to give them a copy of the property flyer (hopefully in color), your business card, and your personal brochure. 

LEAVING THE PROPERTY 

You should sure all doors and windows are locked. Lights are off. Stove/oven is off if used. Make sure the home is as the Sellers left it. Leave the Sellers a handwritten note thanking them for the opportunity and that you will call them either later that evening or tomorrow with follow-up on the event. 

Make sure the home is secure and if there is a security system, make sure to rearm it. Before you leave, check the yard sign and the brochure box to make sure there are ample flyers still in the box if applicable. 

FOLLOW-UP 

Upon return to the office, go to www.SearchBug.com and enter in the names and addresses and phone numbers of your visitors to validate the information they provided.  However, just because they may not appear on the sight, do not give up on them. The first thing you want to do is write each visitor a handwritten thank you note thanking them for stopping by. Make sure you include a return address to validate the information they provided. If it is false, it will be returned to you. 

Enter the visitors into your database and start your 8x8 program, followed by your 33-touch program as described in Gary Keller’s book, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. If you agreed to put their email address into the computer program, do so and do it immediately so you can contact them to let them know it was done and they should now expect to be contacted automatically by the service when a new listing appears on the market that matches their needs. 

OPEN HOUSES CAN WORK PROVIDED YOU WORK YOUR OPEN HOUSES!