I hosted my first open houses yesterday!! I jumped in with both feet and decided to hold two open houses- back to back. These are not my listings, they are listed by another agent in my office but he lets the “newbies” hold open houses at his listings for two reasons: new/more exposure and helping the new agents build their database.
The listing gets new exposure because I’m advertising this home to my inner circle via social media, giving it more fanfare. The hope is that my people share the listing with their people and word of this home spreads like wildfire generating interest. So always feel free to share my posts 
Why would I want to spend my Sunday afternoon sitting around a house that isn’t even my listing (so I wouldn’t make money if its sold) might you ask? Well, I’m there looking for the customer who walks thru the door on there own, who is not working with an agent already. That is my time to shine- demonstrating my knowledge of not only the particular home we are standing in, but of the market as a whole. It is my job to actively listen to the customer to hear what their needs are and what they like and dislike about the home they chose to come and see. My goal is to WOW them with my wisdom and concentration on them.
So, back to my busy Sunday afternoon. Hamilton County residents woke up to everything covered in a sheet of ice, so while trying to leave my road, I almost slid sideways into my neighbors front yard… fun times. The main roads were treated well so they were not an issue so I eagerly headed to the location of my first open house.
The first home I held open is located in a brand new subdivision located in Westfield- homes are actively still being constructed in this addition it is so new. This particular home has a steep driveway, so after pulling halfway up my tires started spinning forward but my vehicle was sliding backwards…. right down the driveway and into the street! Thankfully no one was coming and no mailboxes were struck. I quickly realized that this was going to be hazardous all around, so I parked my SUV in front of the driveway blocking it so no one coming to my open house would try to access the slick driveway with similar results to mine. I pulled out my ice melting salt and went to work salting the sidewalk in front of the home, the front walk and the steps… safety first people! 
I had 3 couples come and tour this home- the first being people who already lived in the neighborhood so they were not in need of my services. The second couple were already working with an agent and the third couple were my friends who are not quite ready to purchase a home, but maybe in the near future.
The second home I held open was also located in Westfield, but this house was built in 1996 and was not located in a subdivision. This home was on a street across from a local elementary school. I salted the driveway and front walkway to this home as well and before I could get all of my information set out my first visitors had arrived! This family of 4 noticed my OPEN sign while driving home from cancelled church services. This particular home did not meet their needs and they mentioned that they were not working with an agent yet- score! While this family was touring the home, the second couple arrived. This was super exciting for me- I hadn’t been in the home for more than 30 min and I was busy! The second couple did not like this particular home and mentioned that they were working with an agent; not what I wanted to hear but I still wished them well in their new home search. The third couple came about an hour later and again were not in love with this home, it did not match their tastes. They also mentioned that they were not working with an agent so I gave them my card attached to a treat I had made and got their contact information.
While hosting these open houses I took many notes on what I need to bring to the next one, what I need to leave home and how I can better prepare in the future. So, all in all I walked away with 2 strong contacts, got the “first time jitters” out, and learned a lot! Success!!
P.S. I’m hosing another open house next Sunday, so follow my Facebook page to hear the upcoming details!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100024285871529&pnref=story
By Stephanie Henderson, talktotucker.com/stephanie.henderson
