Hosting an open house for another agent might sound weird, but it’s all too common in real estate. Often, the more experienced realtors get to work on getting deals and closing listings. If you’re a new real estate agent, you may end up hosting more than one open house for another agent. Doing a good job here can help your company secure sales and in getting you more responsibility down the line.
There are a lot of tips and tricks to host a great open house. However, hosting an open house for another agent is very different than if you’re dealing with your own listings. Here are some basic rules that you need to keep in mind to make sure the event is a success!
Rule 1: Research the Property
Most people don’t buy houses on a whim. As a realtor, it’s your job to coax interested parties into deciding that the house you’re showing is the one they want. A big part of that process involves knowing what the property’s major selling points are. For example, you want to know:
- What standout features the listing offers
- What type of construction you’re dealing with
- Information about the neighborhood, attractions, local schools, etc.
Those are just the outstanding points, though. Naturally, you’ll also want to get a full overview of the property’s basics, such as how big it is, how many rooms and bathrooms it has, and more. If an attendee asks you a question about the house, you should know the answer.
If you’ve attended several open houses, you’ll know there’s a big difference between agents that know the property and those that just show you around. When hosting an open house for another agent, you want to make the best possible impression and that means coming prepared.
Rule 2: Discuss What Points the Agent Wants to Highlight
Since you’re dealing with another agent’s property, they probably have a much better idea of what qualities they want to highlight. Even if they can’t be there personally, it’s always a smart move to ask them what points they want you to discuss with visitors.
Researching a property should give you a good idea of what its major selling points are. However, it’s always a good practice to compare notes with the original agent and see if they think you’re missing any standout features. Plus, it serves as a show of respect!
Rule 3: Promote the Open House
If you want your open house to be a success, you need to put in a lot of effort when it comes to marketing. There are a million ways to market an open house, from using flyers to social media. If the agent you’re working with doesn’t provide you with any marketing materials, you’ll need to look for options with a quick turnaround.
Jigglar offers a broad library of real estate marketing materials and templates that you can easily customize even if you don’t have any design experience. Our templates are basically ready to go and all you have to do is upload your own images and change their text:
The more you market your open house, the more people that might attend. More visitors means more chances that the right buyer will come along and you’ll be able to woo them.
Rule 4: Remember That You’re Representing Another Agent
Come the day of the open house, you need to put your best foot forward. Hosting an open house for another agent is a fantastic opportunity to make a name for yourself and build connections. You can also get to know a lot of potential customers who might want your help even if they decide not to make an offer for the property that you’re showing.
All in all, as long as you come prepared and you treat everyone well, you’re bound to make a great impression. Other agents will notice and they might ask you to help them with their own open houses as well.
Rule 5: Follow Up With Visitors
A lot of times, you won’t get offers during an open house or even after if you don’t follow up with visitors. You might have interested parties, but they’re hesitant about making the first step. That’s why it’s always a smart move to follow up an open house by sending visitors a feedback form:
Ideally, you’ll collect emails from attendees as they arrive to the open house. That way, you can follow up with them later, which is much more efficient than handing out feedback forms as they leave.
If you spot visitors that seem to love the property from their feedback form, go ahead and pass that information off to the original agent. They’ll follow up on any potential leads and thank you for going the extra mile.
Conclusion
Hosting an open house for another agent can be a great opportunity to show off your skills as a realtor and to build connections in the industry. Since you’ll be the one getting to talk with visitors, there’s also the chance that you’ll be able to pick up some potential customers even if they don’t end up making an offer on that property.
There are some rules to keep in mind when hosting an open house for another agent, though. Let’s recap what they are:
- Research the property.
- Discuss what points the agent wants to highlight.
- Promote the open house.
- Remember that you’re representing another agent.
- Follow up with visitors.
Are you ready to get to work on your open house marketing materials? Try out Jigglar for free and check out our templates for open house flyers and social media posts.
