more open house saga.....

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.