Open houses are a large part of a Realtors® job. In the busy season of spring and summer, there might be five or more open house signs on one block. It’s up to you to make your listed property the one they stop to see.

Things in Common
Each open house is different: the house may be in an emerging neighborhood, or you may encounter difficult people. However, all successful open houses share certain things in common.

What You Control
You can’t control the weather or an individual’s busy schedule. The open house could be on the same day as the playoffs. What counts—and what you can control—is your attitude. Stay positive and remain flexible. Your job is to learn from your mistakes and ask yourself how you can do it better next time. Here are a few ideas to help get you started on the path to open house success:

1.  Do Your Homework
Your colleagues are also your competition, so find out what they are doing. Visit other open houses and carefully evaluate what does and what doesn’t work. Use the best of these ideas and adapt them for your own real estate business.

2.  Plan Ahead
At least a week in advance, start planning for the event. This includes making sure the house is ready to show. You need time to advertise the open house, put together your real estate marketing materials, and get your real estate signs (and balloons!) ready.

3.  Advertise
Speaking of real estate marketing materials, you need to have a clear and eye-catching description and photo of your listed properties. Use these as the basis for both print advertising and social media campaigns. List it in local newspapers a week ahead of time. Publish it again on the actual weekend it is held. The same theory goes for printed materials, like real estate postcards. Take advantage of social media opportunities by posting daily notices of your upcoming open house.

4. Bring Plenty of Real Estate Marketing Materials
There are a lot of real estate marketing materials for you to pull together. In addition to plenty of business cards, you need to create a property summary sheet. This is a brief one-page flyer (with pictures) and “specs” of the house. Along with the total square footage of the house, you want to include dimensions of each room, information on property taxes, and notations of any major renovations. A summary sheet is also a great “take-away” for potential buyers.

5. Early Bird
Arrive at the house early to make sure everything has been taken care of. Tuck away any personal items left behind by the owners. The house must be spotless, clutter-free, bright, and open. Turn on the lights, open up the curtains, light a candle, and set up your marketing materials at the front entrance.

6. Signs
The lawn sign and the neighborhood signs should already be in place.

7.  Inside Signs
Speaking of signs, be sure to have a sign-in sheet next to your real estate materials. This should include a space for your visitor’s name, addresses, email and phone numbers. This information will become invaluable when it comes time to prospect and follow up with new customers.

8.  Welcome!
Sure, you’re going to have the Sunday drivers and the curious neighbors stopping by. That’s perfectly acceptable. Keep a friendly attitude and welcome them right in the house—you never know when the neighbors will be ready to sell their own homes or even buy a second home. Invite the local neighbors in for a “sneak peek.” Take advantage of word-of-mouth advertising.

9.  A Simple Smile
No matter who stops by, be sure to put a smile on your face. Your attitude should be friendly, welcoming and energetic. Let your enthusiasm for the property rub off on your visitors and you should be prepared to answer questions.

10.  Anything Else?
OK, the property looks great outside and in. You’ve sent out the real estate postcards and advertised both online and in the newspaper. You have the signs out in the street and you’ve even decorated the mailbox with colorful balloons. What else will make it stand out?

11.  Details, Details
We’ve all heard about the Realtor® who has freshly baked cookies lying out on the counter. (Then again, you can light a chocolate chip-scented cookie scented candle!) Some leave maps of the town. Maybe it’s a cool magnet (with your real estate logo, of course). Think about something special that you can offer or give away that may help a potential buyer want to linger just a bit longer.

12.  Theme Night
Use your imagination and think out of the box for a real estate “theme night.” How about a chocolate and wine night? Or maybe you want to celebrate the hometown baseball team by putting out bowls of peanuts and cracker jacks, along with colorful banners. You can even host a “V.I.P.” night and make the open house a bit more exclusive for your best prospects.

Keep these twelve tips in mind when it’s time to host your next open house, and it’s likely to be a great success.

BestPrintBuy.com provides print and marketing solutions for real estate agents and their franchises. We offer online design and print solutions for business cards, postcards, postcard mailing and marketing, folded note cards, door hangers, note pads, bookmarks and several other products to real estate agents.