Thursday, January 10, 2013

Inside Real Estate: Open Houses, part 2


Inside the house, I like to have information available for them. I place the information closer to the door than I am standing or sitting, so they don’t have to go past me to see it. I want them to feel comfortable picking up materials, but not pressured to do so.

I like to have a flyer with details about the property and a flyer with financing information. People are curious about the monthly payments and how much money they need for a down payment.

I also like to have little bottles of water, my keyboard cleaners, and business cards. Sometimes I have a jar for a drawing for a gas gift card, movie tickets or something like that. People don’t have to give me their information when they meet me, but if they are interested in the drawing, they will fill out their name, email, and phone number. After the open house, I can let them know if they won anything or not, thank them for coming, and let them know that I’d be glad to help them find a home to buy.



When people arrive, I usually greet them, introduce myself, and give them the flyers. I tell them I’m available for questions, then I usually let them wander on their own. Sometimes I’ll make comments or be nearby (if the house is big or currently occupied), but I like to give them time to look and talk without interruptions.

People stay for different lengths of time. Usually the longer people stay, the more they like it or the more curious they are about the property. At the end, I gather up my stuff and give a report to my seller. I wrote this during an open house that had three different parties—one couple, one mom with two older daughters, and one neighbor. (There usually is at least one neighbor who shows up out of curiosity.) If there aren’t any offers or showings in the next couple weeks, I’ll have another open house at the same place. The more the property is in the public eye, the greater the chance of getting it sold!!

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