5 People You Will Meet at Your Next Open House

This post comes to us from the HomeFinder.com blog:

When planning an open house, attracting visitors is the first step to find the perfect buyer for your listing. Despite your best efforts, not all open house visitors arrive with the intention of purchasing a home. Below are the five types of people you may meet at your open houses and tips on how you can turn these browsers into potential buyers.

1.) Qualified Buyers: Watch for serious buyers during your open house. Use a showing app like Open Home Pro to determine if these visitors are working with an agent or pre-qualified for a mortgage. These buyers come prepared with thoughtful questions, so be familiar with important property information.

How to Make the Sale: Follow up within 24 hours to increase chances of an offer. Use a showing app to gather buyer information, help identify hot leads and automatically send a follow-up email to visitors.

2.) Seller's Family and Friends: Your sellers may invite their family and friends to make the property look more popular to other guests. Don't discount these visitors, they may be looking to move in the future or might have friends that could become potential clients.

How to Make the Sale: Treat these guests as you would any other potential buyers. They will notice your dedication and increase opportunities for future referrals.

3.) Next-Door Neighbors: Neighbors often visit open houses because they are curious and want to compare property prices and details. No one knows the area better than local residents, so use their insight to your advantage.

How to Make the Sale: Pre-open house, introduce yourself and extend an invite to your open house. Ask their opinion on the local area and their favorite neighborhood places. Use this information during your open house to give potential buyers an insider perspective on living in the neighborhood.

4.) "Not Yet" Buyers: You will meet plenty of people at your open house who are browsing or not seriously considering buying. These visitors could become future clients, so ask if they are working with an agent or looking to buy in the near future.

How to Make the Sale: Use Open Home Pro to automatically share your contact information with these open house guests. Offer them a free consultation for when they're ready to buy and watch your business grow six months down the road.

5.) Other Local Agents: Real estate agents often visit open houses to see how their listings compare or if they are representing a buyer who is unable to attend. Give them a brief overview of the property and let them walk through solo.

How to Make the Sale: Host a separate broker open house during the week to give agents in your area a preview. You will be able to answer questions regarding their specific clients and network with other agents in your area.

Read more on how to host a successful open house with our Top 5 Open House Prep Tips.