What Successful Agents Do Before, During, and After the Open House

Open houses are important to agents for a number of reasons. Hosting an open house offers agents the chance to showcase their seller's listing, build relationships with prospective clients, and maybe even net an offer on the property.

The most successful real estate professionals know that getting the most from your open house requires more than just cleaning the house and placing an ad in the paper.

It's important to have a strategy for each phase of the open house: before, during, and after.

Before: Promotion and Presentation

Your "Before" open house plan should cover all of the bases by focusing on the advertising of the event, as well as preparation and presentation of the property.

Promote online and off

Cover all your bases when it comes to the promotion of your open house. Sure, Twitter and Facebook are all the rage right now, but newspaper ads, flyers, and open house signs are still powerful tools to let the neighborhood know about your upcoming event.

Keep up appearances

This one is pretty obvious, but it bears repeating. A home that isn't sparkling clean can really deter visitors from buying. Make sure your property is scrubbed down, the lawn is trimmed, and any pet-related items (dog beds, litter boxes) are hidden away. No buyer wants to see a soiled litter box when they're trying to imagine their own life in a home.

Secure all valuables

With multiple strangers filing through a property, theft is always a possibility. Make sure to keep an eye on all visitors, as well as preemptively store and secure all valuables. This includes checking with your sellers to make sure that any expensive or potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals have been properly locked away.