Realtors spend a lot of time and money preparing for an open house. They walk the neighborhood meeting potential buyers or pay a walker to hand out flyers during the open house. The realtor prints flyers, postcards, business cards and anything else they may need to put out on the day of the open house.

When Saturday morning comes along, they will buy fresh cookies, condiments, paper products, and even coffee and water for the more enterprising realtors.

As I’ve sat in these types of open houses with these agents as a mortgage broker and loan officer, I’ve felt the rush of anticipation that comes every time a car pulls in front of the home. The realtors give as much information as possible about the house and ask guests to sign the visitors book.

The visitors book

The reason why a visitors book is so important to a successful open house is because it gives names, phone numbers, and email addresses for contacts that come to look at the home. Working with the agents, I’ve called these prospective buyers in the past. Unfortunately, buyers who don’t make an offer on site during the open house usually won’t come back for a second look. They are gone for good.

Texting the buyers

A much more productive way to use that visitors list is to text the buyers immediately after they leave thanking them for coming and telling them about other listings the realtor has available at that time. The realtor could even text them a few days later reminding them of the perks of owning versus renting.

After another couple of days, a text could be sent with information about how home ownership is about securing equity in the property making it more than just the American dream. And after another few days, another text could be sent with a portfolio of homes that would be great investments for retirement. At that point, what are the chances the realtor has converted a looker into a buyer?

EquiiText and an open house

Instead of having to sit and spend hours texting all the people on a visitors list, a realtor could use the Equiitext mobile texting platform to send out all the information.