How to Promote an Open House

Open houses play a vital role in the real estate buying and selling process. Almost 10% of home sales result directly from buyers finding out about a property from open house signs alone¹. Even though people often search for homes online, the majority of the market will make it to a home via other means and they most certainly will come to look at the home if they are interested and there is an open house available regardless of where they first discover it. Effective marketing of open houses can help you generate bidding wars and close faster. There are several promotional tools that are ideal for boosting foot traffic. Whether you use an open house flag, social media or anything in between, you can trade your "For Sale" sign in for a "Sold" sign with the open house advertising ideas mentioned below.

Digital Advertising

Almost everyone uses the internet when searching for their dream homes these days. One way you can target these prospects is by leveraging social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Facebook has a user base of over two billion people. The social media giant offers features that can help you get your property listing in front of the right audience. Consider doing the following to promote your open house:

• Host a Facebook event
• List the property in the Facebook Marketplace
• Create a live stream on Youtube
• Announce the open house in local Facebook groups

Tweet the date, time and location of your open house on Twitter. How about sharing high-quality pictures of the home on Instagram? Additionally, use Instagram Stories to invite people to link to your Facebook live stream. These platforms offer a low-cost way to conduct open house marketing.

Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, etc.

Do you prefer promoting your open house on a platform specifically designed for real estate buyers and sellers? If so, join the most popular real estate aggregate sites. There's generally no fee for listing properties. However for maximum exposure, you can often pay a little to become a Premier Agent. You get access to tools that give you a better chance of attracting new clients.

It's a good idea to hold regular open houses. This boosts your property in the search results and increases views of your listing. The more eyes your listing, the more likely you are to attract prospective buyers to your open house.

Make sure you post your showing several days ahead of time. For instance, if the event is scheduled for Sunday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., announce it on Thursday. This gives prospects the time they need to plan their attendance. Here are additional pro tips:

• Write an irresistible home description
• Post stunning photos
• Upload a video walk through

When you put all this into motion, you should have no problem standing out from the other realtors. With the right effort, you can turn an open house visitor into a home buyer.

Craigslist

Craigslist is a premier free online marketplace. Because of this, it has been the go-to option for the real estate crowd looking to buy and sell properties. A simple ad is good for generating leads and promoting open houses. To get the most from this platform, you must follow the ad placement guidelines.

Include a call to action in your ad. Craigslist only allows you to post a phone number or text. When a prospect contacts you, ask for their email address. This way you can send interested parties detailed information about the home and build your contact database at the same time.

Promotional Products and Signage

Want to draw a huge crowd to your showing? You need an open house sign and plenty of them. Display at least 20 of these signs throughout the neighborhood, especially on main streets leading to the residence. Aside from traditional signage, attract attention with the following:

• Custom sidewalk signs
• Open house feather flags
• Outdoor reusable balloon kit
• Open house inflatable dancing tube man

Open house promotional products are effective, affordable must-haves to include in your real estate marketing toolbox. They provide fun practical ways to steer people right to your home showing.

Newspaper Ads

Many people read newspapers, including real estate classifieds. You can still make a major impact with this form of traditional advertising. The key is to target popular publications, especially those catering to the neighborhood where the listed property is located. Also, make sure you advertise a week before the open house.

When creating your ad keep your ideal buyer in mind. Is it empty-nesters looking to downsize? Are you appealing to young professionals looking for a starter home? Do you want to attract married couples who need more space for their growing family? Speak the language of your target buyer. Make sure the ad relates to them and strikes an emotional chord.

Keep in mind that many publications also have online versions, so you get more bang for your buck. You may be surprised by the number of people who show up for your open house because of an ad you placed in a local paper.

Turn House Hunters Into Homeowners

You can draw the interest of qualified buyers using any of these open house promotional ideas. It's best to use all of these in combination if you want the best chance at success. Making an investment in your marketing strategy will results in a higher ROI. Many of our ideas here are no or low cost and are evergreen and reusable! 

¹ Source: National Association of Realtors Real Estate Statistics 2018