I've held two more open houses since my last blog with great success. Of course, it all depends upon how you define success. No my open house efforts have not yielded a contract, yet. Nor have they led to a listing, yet. I have however added 3 potential buyer couples to my met database. One of them might even turn into a listing and a purchase. Only time will tell.
During both open houses I took some good advice and did about an hour or so of prospecting. I also spent some quality time reading both real estate and non-real estate during the lull. But most importantly I sharpened my people skills. I had the perfect test group. The folks that visited were a relatively captive audience; they came to my open house and genuinely wanted to see the house. So I faced my fears and just jumped in the water. Last Sunday I was greatly rewarded by the last couple of the day. I felt like I was on my A game. We connected. We talked about houses, kids, jobs, beer, bbq and many other common interests. Turns out they are going to sell a 200K property and buy a 300K property, if the expected job promotion goes through. And to top it off, they didn't have a realtor and seem likely to use me. Woo hoo! Maybe.
But the best part is that I now feel completely comfortable holding open houses. I have no trouble greeting people at the door, introducing myself and asking them to sign the register; all within the first minute of their arrival. I've learned the process that works best for me. I let them wander and discover things on their own, but follow just close enough behind so that I can answer any questions that might arise. I've learned to ask questions about them, their family and their situation, and to listen closely. I basically learned to build a rapport before I ask them if I can be of assistance. Finally I've learned to follow up the next day with something of value such as an offer to do a home evaluation, email them some listings that match their criteria or just offer to answer any questions they might have.
I now look forward to my Sunday open houses and get excited when people walk through the door. I have conquered my open house phobia. No, I haven't closed any deals yet that originated from holding a house open. But I will. I believe this.