How to plan an open house that gets noticed
In a market so saturated with competition, real estate agents are often confronted with the prospect of hosting an open house to which no potential home buyers show up. To avoid this unfortunate, and often discouraging experience, there are some easy and efficient ways to get noticed, attract serious buyers, and close the deal.
Start With the Invitation
A unique invitation is sure to get noticed among the shuffle, and while email is typically the standard for contacting home buyers for an upcoming showing, there are newer, more effective ways to invite clients, and other potentially interested parties to the event. Social media is a powerful tool in any real estate agent’s arsenal, and can be utilized for invitations, sharing the open house information, posting enticing photos of the home for sale, and even for engaging potential buyers in conversation that will better the chances of them showing up, and perhaps, even bidding on the property in question.
Try to use dynamic images of both the home and yourself to entice home buyers to check out the event info, and then, impress them with the unique touches that are added to the event itself to give an experience that goes beyond walking halls and counting bathrooms.
Not Your Average Open House
Finding a new home is a process that often includes many open houses, with the same cheesy music in the background, fruit platters, and drab flower arrangements. Amp up the open house in 2015 with interactive events, contests, unique food and drink offerings, live and trending music, and more! One real estate agent recently drew a crowd using a professional harpist to help demonstrate the elegance and timelessness of a large old home, and the visitors to his open house couldn’t wait to post a pic to Instagram as they strolled the halls holding antique crystal champagne flutes topped off with mimosa. The atmosphere led to a perfect match, and the buyer remarked about how the experience really imparted to them a special love of the old house.
Follow-Up with Finishing Touches
Ideally, a buyer will approach during the open house to make an offer on the property, but even if they don’t, never fear! Be sure to collect contact data from any interested parties and follow up with them promptly to ensure they don’t lose the sensation they felt walking through their future home. Social media can be extremely effective in this way, because it acts as a method of casually contacting clients, as well as a forum to open up a discussion about the home and its selling points. If an real estate agent is really smart, they probably also utilize a membership with RealEstateAgent.com, where networking with untold numbers of potential buyers, and even other real estate agents, can bring about the lead that you need to close the sale and please your client.
Whatever you do, remember to make it memorable, provide great food and beverages, and use social media to host invitations, forums, and follow-up conversation until a “Sold” sign is hanging in the front yard!
