Open houses. Love them or hate them, the fact is that they’re a fixture of the summer real estate season. If you’ve got listings, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have clients who request open houses.

Fortunately, there’s a lot that can be done to make your next open house a success – for your client, and for your business. Here are 5 tips that can help get you (and your listings) ready to make the most of your next open house:

1. Choose the right property. Not every home needs – or will benefit from – an open house, but when done right they can make a big impact on sellers and build your contact list at the same time. The best choices for open houses are neighborhoods where you’d like to build your prospect list, properties that are especially impressive and can spark a bidding war, and listings for sellers who need to see an open house to believe you’re actually marketing their home.
2. Go big. If you’re going to do an open house, you want as many people there as you can get. Make sure the open house is as visible as possible, with large real estate yard signs and open house directional units, preferably placed the week before. Use balloons and streamers to mark the house day of, and if your area offers online or newspaper options to advertise open houses, take full advantage.
3. Go for broke. A broker’s open is a great option for special properties, or for when you want to develop or strengthen your connections in an area. Brokers and other agents often appreciate a little something extra, so have refreshments on hand if possible.
4. Spread the word. Nosy neighbors love open houses. Kill two birds with one stone by doing some farming while promoting your listing and the open house. Print up real estate flyers that say “Know anyone who would make a great neighbor?” Depending on the location, you might even want to do a small raffle that neighbors can enter by giving you names of potential buyers, with extra entries for bringing someone in person to the open house.
5. Curb appeal counts. Nail the first impression, and people will be looking at everything else with rose-tinted glasses. Make sure your sellers are keeping the lawn watered and well-manicured, and put out lots of potted flowers the day-of. For extra impact, consider asking them to touch up trim paint, replace a rusty mailbox, or power-wash a dingy exterior.

Finally, don’t forget the follow up. All the work you put into managing a successful open house won’t matter much if you don’t do anything with the names you gather. And as much as some real estate professionals love to decry the “looky-loos” and “tire-kickers” who flock to open houses, the reality is that anyone who takes the time out of their day to visit an open house is interested in real estate at some level, even if they might not be ready to buy just yet. Add them to your postcard mailing list now, and you may just find they turn into clients by next summer.