Make the best of your open house events to be at the forefront in your area.
The year is just starting and there’s plenty of time and opportunities to make those successful sales! Have a go with these tips and scripts and you’re sure to get the outstanding results you’re working for.
1. Consistency is key
An important factor in hosting open houses is the goal to gain traction. With that, make sure you hold at least one per week to get things going. Anything less may still yield a few new leads, but with a fixed weekly schedule, you’ll definitely be more productive.
2. Plan things ahead
It may seem to be a given already, but a reminder for careful planning is always worth it – you can never be too prepared! Make sure that you create a comprehensive market analysis (CMA) before hosting an open house event. Your local community will inevitably be the first viewers of the home, so it’s all the more important that you have a strong grasp of the area’s market condition – whether it would be the recent sales or the currently available listings. While you’re at it, visit those homes yourself to have a realistic idea about their condition and similarities. You might even want to start a conversation with the other buyers.
3. Focus on a one area
Take it one step at a time. Sticking to only one area, zip code, or neighbourhood will help you get established and gain traction with prospective buyers. Doing the opposite is less cost effective and a hassle, taking extra work to maintain, with less possibilities of gaining results. To maximise this tip, find well known areas with plenty of residents and properties, and start from there.
4. Time it out
Whoever said ‘time is money’ definitely got it right, as this can make or break your sale. When holding open houses, see to it that you select the day of the week that works best for you. Don’t know where to begin? We’re here to help you! For starters, weekends are usually the best time for open houses, since people have more free time compared to a normal work day. If you’re going to hold an open house during the week, you might want to choose the usual time when potential buyers are more likely to have left work. Since the pandemic has normalised remote work, don’t be afraid to experiment with mid-week lunchtime opens.
After the selection phase, you’ll now have to determine the number of hours in a week you’ll be dedicating to your sale. Four to six hours is usually just right, but if you can go up to eight hours per week, go for it! Make sure you can sustain the schedule you’ve chosen, to avoid burnout and inconsistencies.
5. Don’t depend your schedule on listings
You are more than encouraged to host an open house, even without personally getting a listing – you don’t have to wait for them! Something else you can do is to be proactive and look up listings by reaching out to other agents or searching on the internet. You can even ask permission from a listing agent if they will be able to do an open house for any of their current listings.
6. Prioritise averagely-priced properties
Because of their more standard and friendlier price points, these types of homes will become high demand in 2022, which will more than likely generate a larger turnout of prospective customers. You can still go for other properties with higher price points but for the most part, the target market of these types of homes tend to already have built connections with real estate agents. This means that they are less likely to be new clients.
7. Check correct pricing and use well-taken photographs
Utilising beautifully taken, high quality photos is sure to peak the interest of your target market. If you’re on the lookout for other properties to represent, those with professional looking photographs always stand out and get attention. In terms of pricing, conduct a CMA first before pricing the home. Make sure you get this right, as having a mishap for this type of technical detail will reduce your perceived expertise in the local area.
8. Avoid gated communities
Exclusive, tightly-knit neighbourhoods that you are not a part of are not the best places to host open houses. The residents value the sense of privacy and seclusion they get from their local area. A public open will cause issues for attendees and a negative reputation with the residents. Focus on private showings in these circumstances.
9. Go digital
Take advantage of the wide reach social media can give you. Social networks like Facebook offer convenient and budget-friendly ways to create and distribute advertisements for your open house event.
If you’re not the agent of the property yourself, be sure to have your agent upload the listing on different real estate websites for a wider yet more targeted reach.
The livestream functions of Facebook and Youtube are also great platforms to use for people who aren’t in your area, to be able to “attend” your event in real time.
10. Signages for Personal Branding
Standard signages we’ve all been used to tend to not stand out amongst prospective buyers. That being said, think out of the box and invest in the production of your own signages, complete with your personal branding.
A good number to start with is 50, and have it be displayed around the area of your choosing. You will be able to get your return of investment since this will help people recognise you and your brand, as they see an increased amount of your signages around the neighbourhood. To avoid confusion, you can refrain from including specific time and dates in your signages, and just include a large ‘OPEN HOUSE’ text if you’re promoting multiple properties.