Let's believe for just a minute that your business is slow and you have volunteered to host open houses for agents in your office. Open houses are time consuming, so many real estate agents who are unable to find the time themselves will be thrilled if you offer this assistance to them.

Let's believe for just a minute that your business is slow and you have volunteered to host open houses for agents in your office. Open houses are time consuming, so many real estate agents who are unable to find the time themselves will be thrilled if you offer this assistance to them.

1) BEFORE you actually agree to hold it open, be sure to personally preview the property. Sometimes, there are significant differences between what you see when you actually get to the property and what you see in the listing online. Make sure to inspect each room carefully, basically check it as though you were a potential client walking through the house for the very first time; check the backyard, check the bathrooms. I have a checklist with me where I grade every area of the house according to feature.

2) Imagine you have chosen a wonderful property to use for an open house. What items should you bring with you? I keep a list for these situations, such as:

* Small card table and an accompanying tablecloth

*Quality punch bowl, drinks, and ice

*Flyers with property information

* Some Business Cards

* A guest book

*Set up for the bathroom

3. It's not unusual for people to peek inside and simply ask "How much?" Don't just give them the price and then let them leave - ask them to come in, offer them some water, and start a conversation with them about the amount they're willing to spend. It's at this point that all the preparation you did will work in your favor.

To be prepared, you should do a search prior to your own open house, in which you check out the active listings located within 1/4 mile of your property. Collect information on the listings in a binder, organizing them according to price, and review them thoroughly before your own open house gets underway. This way, if one of your prospects goes through the house and then tells you that they like the place but the asking price is $20,000 more than they had planned to spend, you'll be ready for them. You simply take out your binder and flip through the listings, then say that there are three homes within their price range nearby - and when they're ready, you would be glad to show them these homes.

4. When prospects have finished their tour and are ready to leave, be sure to thank them for their time, and give them your business card and any other contact information they might need. If you get the feeling that they don't currently have an agent or are looking for one, take the time to see if you can be of service.

5) There are many posts available regarding keeping your open house safe, so I will discuss a few of them.