Open House Guide
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Holding open houses, separates us from our competition and allows us to break into a market we are going after. Open houses offer great ROI and they are a lot of fun! This is a great way to meet neighbors, find leads and build your business.
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You can drive traffic to your open house using many methods such as door knocking the neighborhood and using digital marketing to get the word out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Seller Prep
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Mow the lawn.
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Trim all bushes and shrubs to make curb appeal tidy and neat.
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Make sure front walk is swept & clean and entrance is free of spider webs and dirt.
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Be sure the front door is inviting. An easy refresher is a new welcome mat.
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Arrange furniture to make rooms look as big as possible. Put away unnecessary furniture in storage to make rooms as minimal as possible.
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Take personal pictures down and replace with generic photos or without photos in each room. Buyers want to envision themselves in your home not see who is living there.
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Make the surfaces including ceiling fans and baseboards shine. Don't forget interior windows, mirrors and floors.
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Scrub the kitchen and bathrooms, including inside and outside kitchen appliances.
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Dust off surfaces and wipe down baseboards.
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Declutter unnecessary items from tables, kitchen counter tops, bathroom vanities, closets, laundry room, bedrooms etc.
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Organize closets and drawers to make them look as large and neat as possible.
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Make sure the house has a fresh smell, but do not overdo it on scents.
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Put away all pet products, food bowls, water bowls etc. Some buyers are very put off by animals.
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Pick up all pet waste in yard and empty litter boxes.
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Clean and organize the garage.
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Agent Prep
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​Monday​
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Pick the house – either your own or another agent's listing and call the agent to see if they're willing to allow an open house. Here are some tips to choose the right property.
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Easy to find
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Accessible
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Great curb appeal
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Newest on the market
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In an area you are wanting to farm
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eXp Realty requires that you choose open houses for eXp listings only due to liability issues. This is a national policy!
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Schedule an Agent Preview appointment in ShowingTime to make sure you are comfortable and knowledgeable about the house and neighborhood.​
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Wednesday
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Confirm the listing has been updated with the open house date and time.
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Confirm if the listing agent has prepared flyers or if you will be responsible for providing them.
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Get a lender or partner there for pre-qualifications and safety. Never host an open house alone!
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Schedule kvCORE Open House Property Boost.
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Thursday​
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Make an open house graphic and post to Facebook and Instagram.
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Have the seller share your post in their neighborhood Facebook group.
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Post in the local garage sale Facebook groups.
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Share to your Facebook and Instagram story 1 and 2 days prior to the open house.
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Have the seller post the open house graphic to NextDoor.
- ​​Reverse Prospecting – send emails and make phone calls.
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Friday​
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Print documents off MLS.
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Survey
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MLS buyer sheet – Client Detail Full
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MLS agent sheet – Agent Detail Full
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Seller's disclosure
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Print area open house map.​​
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Print out 5 similar homes that are for sale nearby that you could show after the open house.
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Print open house sign-in sheets
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Pack your dedicated open house rolling crate.
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Business cards
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Property folder and acrylic signs
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Broom and dustpan
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Trash bag
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Toilet paper
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Diffusers (vanilla or cinnamon only)
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Speaker for music
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Bottled water
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Snacks, plates, napkins etc.
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Consider giving away a prize to a winner who signs in during the open house. Then notify the winner after the open house, so they give you good contact info.
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The Day Before the Open House
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If vacant, check the temperature of the house the day before, and make sure it's ready to show.
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Get intimately familiar with the listing. Memorize important info including the home's basic stats, neighborhood, schools and amenities. Be the expert so you don't need to rely on the MLS print out if anyone asks you the square footage.
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The Day of the Open House​
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Post at least 25 directional signs 1-2 hours prior to the open house. Look for busy roads and nearby intersections with lots of traffic, and post several signs along the turn in area from the busy road. You can't see 1 sign driving by at 40 mph, so you will need at least 6 coming in from each direction. Give them bread-crumbs to get to the house.
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Open all the window, blinds and curtains to get good lighting.
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Turn on the diffuser if necessary.
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Facebook Live, YouTube, and Instagram an open house tour just prior to the start of the event.
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Put on a great show and smile!
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Get there early to catch any early birds.
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Be organized.
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Be friendly and helpful.
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Have a solid guest list process for getting their info – don't rely on them signing in. they won't and you can't read their handwriting. This is a great job for your partner to hang by the door and greet everyone at the sign-in table.
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Don't try to sell, try to solve.
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Strike up casual conversation but don't be a typical salesperson.
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Assume they are going to work with you if this house isn't the right fit, and discuss getting together on Monday to talk about their needs and finding the right house.
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Right After the Open House
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Check all rooms and closets to make sure no one is in the house or left themselves a way in through an unlocked door or window.
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Close and lock all doors and windows.
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Clean up and turn off all lights.
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Pick up all directional signs.
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Call sellers or selling agent and give them a report of how it went.
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The Day After the Open House
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Enter all your new leads from the open house into your CRM and follow up! Don't forget to add them to a drip campaign.
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Set the appointment. Zoom if possible!
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Close with a buyer showing appointment.
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Lead Generation
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​Ask the Right Questions
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Are you looking for a new home for yourself?
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Do you have a property you need to sell before you can buy?
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Can you tell me a little bit about what you are looking for in a home? This will tell us if we need to demo this home or switch them.
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Let Them Look
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Show them the highlights of the home.
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Stay within earshot of them and answer questions as they come up.
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Departing Comments
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Can you give me a little feedback I can share with the seller?
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Is this a home you would buy?
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I have 5 more of the "hottest buys" in the area. Would you like to see the m today around 4pm?
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Follow Up Text Scripts
Hello (lead name). This is _______________. It was great meeting you on _______________ at the open house on _______________. I appreciate you taking the time to come through! I wanted to reach out to see if you have any additional questions about the house?
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Hello (lead name). This is _______________, you came through my open house on _______________ at _______________. It was a pleasure talking with you and getting to know you better. I wanted to reach out to see if you had sometime this week that we could meet and go over exactly what you’re looking for in a home so I can assist you in the process. Are mornings or evenings better for you?
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Good morning/afternoon/evening (lead name). This is _______________, you came through my open house on _______________. I wanted to reach out as it looks like you are not currently working with a buyers agent. Did you know that there is no cost to you associated with my service, and I have the most current list of homes available to you?
Good morning/afternoon/evening (lead name). This is _______________, you came through my open house on _______________. It was great chatting with you (or you and your husband/wife.)
Based on our conversation I think the following homes would meet your needs. Take a look at the pictures and let me know what your availability is to go take a tour.