An open house is one of the best, proven techniques for acquiring new leads that will potentially turn into new clients. However, it can be difficult to be able to get people to actually show up. Follow these open house tips to ensure that you have a full turnout and you get that house sold in no time.

Social Media Preview

A good way to generate buzz about an open house is to preview the home on social media. This can give users an inside look into what to expect and can get people excited about the home. You want to be sure to reveal enough to get your followers interested in coming to see the house. You can preview the house through Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, or even a sponsored post! Get creative with it and show them why they need to see this house in person ASAP. 

Marketing is Key

The best way to get people at your open house? Marketing. How do you expect people to know about it if you don’t correctly market it? Social media is a great tool, but don’t stop there! You can do everything from updating the MLS listing with the open house information, door hangers on the neighbor’s door, flyers, paid ads, to colorful signs to show people that they don’t want to miss out.

Choose the Right Time for Your Area

It’s important to be strategic when setting up the perfect time for your open house. For example, let’s say you are trying to sell a condo in an urban area. Most of your potential clients interested in the home are full-time employees. If you choose 9-12 on a Monday morning, you aren’t as likely to get as many people as you would on a weekend. You want to find a time that is most likely to be open for as many people as possible. Do the research for your area and it will pay off big time.

Make Attendees Feel at Home

When you have potential clients come to an open house, you not only want to sell on the house itself but the vision of what their life would be like. If the home seems cold and unwelcoming, it won’t sell the same as a home that feels welcoming and cozy. You want your clients to feel at home and be able to see themselves living there. You can do this by baking cookies, staging the home, opening the curtains, or even putting something on the t.v. to give them the full picture of what the home could be.

Invite Neighbors

It’s always a good idea to invite the neighbors to your open house. While you are selling the house, you are also selling the whole experience the house will bring. That includes the community and neighbors. If you have neighbors at the event, it gives the potential home buyers the opportunity to mingle and get to know them (it could even make the sale).

Besides selling the experience to guests, one of the neighbors who attend may be looking to move but don’t want to leave their neighborhood, and this house is the perfect place for them. If all else, it will put your name on their memory in case they are getting ready to sell. 

Promote to Fellow Agents

When you are marketing your open house, making your fellow agents aware of the event is a smart idea. It’s very possible that they may have a client that is looking for exactly what you are showing. 

Open House Signs

It’s no secret that creating open house signs are a sure way to bring in traffic. But slapping an ‘Open House’ sign in the front of the home may not be enough. Typically, it’s smart to put a sign on the main road leading to the neighborhood, at the turnoff to the neighborhood, and any intersections near the home (you want to be sure they can easily find it after all). When creating the sign, ensure that not only is the correct date and time on the sign, but also YOUR information. This way even if they are unable to attend, they can see your information to contact you if they are interested.

Have Informational Packet Available

The more prepared you are, the better. Providing your guests with information about the neighborhood, schools, HOA, etc. is a great way to show you can provide all the answers. It’s nice to have it in a packet form so they can easily look back to it later. Ensure you put all of your information in the packet, so if they have any further questions that aren’t included they can easily contact you.

Have Extra Help

If a large number of people are expected to turn-out to the event, it isn’t a bad idea to have a jr. real estate agent or an assistant come to help you. You want to be sure you can talk to as many people as possible and so it would be a big help if you had someone to help you sign people in, refill drinks, etc. could be a big help! 

Hold a Giveaway or Raffle

It’s important to keep your guests interested and give a fun incentive for attending the event. If you do decide to host a contest or raffle at the open house, make sure you market it! Show on social media before AND after the event how exciting it’s going to be and to show how great it went. You can raffle off anything from gift cards to a home assistant, people will love it!

ABOVE ALL…

Above all, make sure that you follow-up on your leads. The longer you leave them the more likely they are to move on with their search. If this wasn’t the perfect house for them, show them that YOU are the perfect person to find them their dream home.

So you got your real estate license and are ready to start your journey as a realtor. Congratulations! These real estate agent tips are what you need to help you be successful in the competitive industry.

First Things First: Create Business Plan

Just like any new business, it is crucial when you are first getting set up as a real estate agent you have some kind of plan in place to keep you on track and ensure you accomplish all of your goals. To create a business plan for your new business, you can start by sitting down and create a plan with realistic goals you want to achieve and set a plan on how you are going to accomplish it. 

Another big part of your business plan is coming together with a budget. How much are you going to spend on marketing each month? Or new technology? 

Putting this plan together is the first step in staying organized and having a successful real estate business.

Find a Mentor

When you are first starting out, it might be difficult for you to know exactly where to begin and what to not do- that’s why having a mentor can be so beneficial. A mentor can lead you and give you advice from someone who has been in your shoes. They can give you an inside scoop on exactly will NOT work and what will, so you can avoid making mistakes that could be damaging to your business. 

Constantly Be Educating Yourself

The most successful real estate agents take the time to be constantly learning and educating themselves about their industry. When you have clients with you, you want to be sure that you show you are an expert in your field and can easily answer all of their questions. 

There are so many options of things you can do to stay educated and updated. Industry books, podcasts, blogs, social media groups, networking events, etc. are great ways to get started! 

This article will give you a list of the top real estate podcasts to try.

A good tip: listen on your way to work! It’s a good way to get you in the zone and ready for the day.

Create An Easy To Use Website

A great way to find potential clients and market your brand is through a website. Having a website is a fast and easy way for people to see who you really are as a real estate agent and what you have to offer. Spending the time to create an innovative, easy-to-use website is worth the time and money it takes. 

Create Partnerships

Partnerships are a great way to bring in business. It’s smart to partner with moving companies and loan officers so they can recommend you to others and you can bring in new clients. Being able to provide some form of discount or deal to your clients will be a big motivator to work with you!

Up Your Social Media Game

Social media is a fast and easy way to connect with people all over. There are over 1 billion active users on Facebook, 800 million on Instagram, and 330 million on twitter- use this to your advantage. Connect with people in your area and show them who you are and what you can do for them! 

Want to take your social media game to a whole new level? Check out the Social Compass. Social Compass gives you the ability to post third-party articles that lead your followers back to your website. When you post an article through the Social Compass, it puts the header of your website on the article, so your followers are constantly reminded of who you are and what you do.

Promote Your Strengths

What is different about you compared to other real estate agents? What do you have to offer that other real estate agents don’t? 

Once you have outlined what you have to offer and what makes you a great realtor, use that as your biggest selling point.

Automated Marketing

As a real estate agent, you should be fully focused on sales and selling houses. However, marketing should be a high priority for your business. The more professional your marketing looks, the better chances you have for it to catch the eye of potential clients, so you want to be sure it is done thoroughly. Because you don’t have time to do full-time marketing and sales, it is smart to automate your marketing and/or hire an outside agency to assist you. 

If you are interested in someone doing your marketing for you, check out our Spotlight Concierge program. This program is not only extremely affordable, but we will do everything for you including Google ads, social media management, email campaigns, mobile app marketing, and more!

Work With a Professional Photographer

The internet makes it easier than ever for it to look at homes online. Low quality photos that were taken off a cell phone not only gives an unprofessional impression, but it also makes it difficult to decide if the home is even worth looking at. Using a professional photographer to shoot the home is a great way to get high-quality pictures and attract a buyer. 

Having a hard time finding a professional photographer that shoots high-quality virtual tours? We have photography partners all over the country who create top-of-the-line home tours. 

Put in the Work and You Will Get Results

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”

Just like anything in life, if you put in the effort you will see results. Starting off as a real estate agent can be frustrating in the beginning, but you can do it! It’s all about consistency and putting in the time. You got this!

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