An open house on Saturday morning draws twelve groups. Before it, your office fields a stream of questions: what time, do we need to book, is there parking, can we bring the kids? Afterwards, some attendees want a second look, some have questions they forgot to ask, and a couple are ready to offer. Monday morning, the negotiator starts calling, and one keen couple has already offered on a different house.
Open house enquiries come in two waves. Handling both well is the difference between a busy event and a sale.
Step 1: publish the practical details
Most pre-event questions are practical:
- Date and time window.
- Whether registration is needed.
- Parking and access.
- Whether children and pets are welcome.
- What to bring, such as proof of funds.
Put these on the listing and in any advert. The fewer questions buyers need to ask, the more likely they turn up.
Step 2: answer the rest instantly
Some buyers still ask, often in the evening before the event. SpideyChat for real estate answers from the listing at any hour, confirms the open house details and can capture registrations for your team. That fits the broader approach of answering listing questions instantly, which lettings teams use heavily, as described in a week in a lettings office before and after automation.
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Step 3: qualify attendees lightly
Registering attendees in advance lets you ask a couple of qualifying questions: buying position, finance and timescale. The approach is covered in qualifying buyers before the first viewing. It helps your team know who to talk to on the day.
Step 4: follow up within a day
The strongest leads come from follow-up. Contact every attendee within a day with a short, personal message: thank them, ask what they thought, and offer a second viewing. Keep it specific to the property. More on follow-up messages in the follow-up email after a chat.
Step 5: capture questions that arrive after
Attendees often think of questions on the drive home: what are the service charges, how old is the boiler, would the seller include the curtains? Answering these quickly keeps interest warm. Anything needing the seller's input can be captured and passed to the negotiator.
Step 6: keep interest for other properties
Some attendees will not want this property but are active buyers. Capture their requirements and match them to other listings, the same idea retailers use when a product sells out, described in how to answer stock and restock questions without an inbox.
On the day itself
During the open house, negotiators are busy showing people round and have little time for questions from people who could not come. Those questions still arrive, often from buyers who saw the listing that morning. Having them answered and captured means the negotiator does not have to choose between the people in the room and the enquiries coming in.
It also helps to note, for each attendee, what they seemed interested in or worried about. A buyer who asked twice about the garden or the school run has told you what matters to them, and that is exactly what your follow-up should mention.
After the weekend
A well-run open house ends with a list: who attended, who is interested, who has questions, and who wants to offer. The negotiator's Monday is spent on the warmest leads rather than guessing who to call first. To see how pre-event and follow-up questions get handled, try an assistant on your website, or look at lead capture.