Agents: Secrets for a Successful Open House
Reading time: 3 minutes
Open houses are a vital listing agent tool. They allow a Realtor to garner publicity and attention for a property, and to consolidate as many buyer showings as possible into a convenient time slot. Having a two-or three-hour window to see a house makes life easier for both potential buyers and their agents – especially in a town like San Francisco where lockboxes aren’t de rigueur.
But – whether the layperson realizes it or not – it’s an even more important tool for drumming up new business. At an open house, the hosting agent is like a fish who positions itself in a deep pool and waits for a juicy fly to drift downstream. It ain’t exactly rocket science. And yet not every fish gets the fly, because they don’t grok some of the nuances of this strategy.
Agents, here’s what you need to know:
You are not at the open house to sell that particular property. The PROPERTY SELLS ITSELF. Be welcoming, gracious and brief, but get out of the way.
If you sell anything, it should be the idea of AGENCY, as in “Shop for an agent before you go shopping for real estate.” People need a loyal, professional ally because real estate transactions are too important to be a DIY activity. If you meet an unrepresented buyer who you think you’d enjoy knowing better, have a friendly conversation (on any topic – you get extra points for having it not be about real estate).
Be quiet and LISTEN. If you want to make friends and influence people, then pay attention and stop thinking about what’s in it for you. Be truly fascinated by the people you meet. As humorist Elbert Hubbard said, “The best way to entertain some people is to listen to them.”
Don’t speculate or answer QUESTIONS you don’t know the answer to. Use your not-knowing as an opportunity to follow up later and continue the conversation.
Remember, you’re there to create RELATIONSHIPS, not to be a real estate expert. Sure – you want to know a thing or two about real estate and current market trends and comps and so forth – but your main goal is to become an authority on everything to do with your prospective client!
Find a way to be helpful and personable. FOCUS on everything except the house. (I can’t emphasize this enough: The house will sell itself, or not. There is nothing you can do to “talk” someone into buying it.)
RELAX and try to enjoy yourself. If you do a good job of serving people and you have positive regard for everyone you meet in real estate, the odds are high that the money will follow and you’ll be a success.
Happy open house holding, and maybe I’ll see you one afternoon this weekend!
Photo Credit: David Dvořáček
Author and RealEstateTherapy curator Cynthia Cummins has been devoted to homeowners and homebuyers for three decades and counting. Visit KindredSFhomes.com for more information on San Francisco real estate.
