Parade of open houses

It’s like a hybrid between an open house and an agent tour. Call it an open house tour. The idea is to get as many potential buyers as possible to a handful of homes in one day. If homeseekers will be visiting a half-dozen homes anyway, why not plan their day for them? Agents with four or five listings in an area can host a tour of their own listings; otherwise, several agents or an office can team up to put one together.

Wherever you advertise your house tour, listing each home with the time it will be open allows buyers to visit some or all of the homes on your list. Those attending the entire tour can be instructed to meet at your office or at the first home on the list. Create a map with the route highlighted and post it to your Web site. Depending on the number of homes, you may want to hold each one open for 15 - 30 minutes.

Some agents find that open house tours create a different dynamic than a solitary open house, giving buyers a sense of competition for properties.

Photo © Eyewire.

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