Beware Active Rain Addiction Day 5-Holding a Productive Open House Part Deux

Beware Active Rain Addiction Day 5-Holding a Productive Open House Part Deux

I was in a hurry last night as the clock was approaching midnite and I didn't want to miss getting my Day 4 blog in on time so I left out a few ideas.

Holding A Productive Open House-Part Deux

1. Always have at least two agents present at every Open House. It is a good idea for the safety of the agent and for the clients possessions. Every GUEST to the Open House needs to follow the RULES OF THE OPEN HOUSE. The client may have requested that all guests remove their shoes. I actually had GUESTS to an Open House who refused to remove their shoes. As painful as it was at the time, these GUESTS did not get to tour the Open House that day. Any Open House held by my team, The Beninson Associates, also has some rules to follow for GUESTS. They will go to the kitchen table and sign in. Then they will accompany one of my agents through the house. If there are more than one group of GUESTS to the Open House the second agent will accompany them through the house. Any additional GUESTS will have to wait for one of the tours to be concluded before than can come in. You may lose some GUESTS who may refuse to wait but remember that both the agents and the visitors are indeed GUESTS of the client and the safety of the agents and the safety of the clients possessions always come first.

2. Open House incentive-Many GUESTS come to the Open House and it is debateable as to whether they are represented by an agent or not. My team, The Beninson Associates, like to offer some sort of an Open House incentive. This could be a credit toward their attorney fee of up to $1,000 or a credit toward their building inspection etc...they need to sign a buyer representation agreement with The Beninson Associates and either buy the Open House property or another property through us during the term of this agreement. I make sure to clarify that this incentive is from The Beninson Associates and not from the seller of the property. It is in addition to any listing price negotiations that may occur.

3. Be sure to have a handout similar to "Ten Reasons to be Represented by The Beninson Associates". This explains your teams value propostion. Why should they choose your team to represent them exclusively in the purchase of the Open House or any other property.

4. Open House thank you notes-As soon as a GUEST leaves the Open House write down a few quick notes about them that you learned as you toured the Open House together. Thank them for coming to the Open House and make referrences to their needs and wants that they shared with you on the tour. Remind them again how your team can help them to achieve their housing goals.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you are a GUEST of the seller and any visitors to the Open House are also GUESTS. Your team needs to guide them through the home by following the owners rules and then also the rules of your team. If this is done your GUESTS will have an uninterrupted tour and your sellers will be confident that you are looking out for their best interests while trying to find a buyer for their home.

God Bless and Happy Selling