A Story That’ll Get You Ready For April’s Nationwide Open House Weekend

This article comes to us from the REALTOR.com Lockbox blog. You can view the original article at Lockbox.REALTOR.com.

Some days, I really miss working on the brokerage side of the business.

Sharing in the excitement of a hard-fought closing. Celebrating the successes of an agent new to the business, determined and eager to learn. Caravans on Tuesdays touring broker’s opens. A Saturday spent visiting agents holding opens.

This business is hard, but boy, can it be fun. And most importantly, it’s full of wonderful people who come to it from all walks of life.

And really, when it comes down to it, it’s the people that make real estate such a special business to be in.

So when Scott, the owner of the brokerage I used to work for, invited me to meet him for a cocktail and conversation, I gladly accepted.

I always enjoy time with Scott. He’s done pretty much all you can do in this business; he’s sold real estate as an agent, he’s been a managing broker, and for about the last 20 years, he’s owned a pretty successful company. He’s got a unique perspective on this industry, and he’s always willing to share what’s working, and what’s not.

He’s a real salt-of-the-earth, genuine guy.

So we chatted for a while, catching up on what’s been happening in our lives, sharing laughs and memories. And inevitably, the conversation, as it usually does, shifted to real estate. And one topic in particular.

Open Houses.

An agent had recently joined his company--brand-new, with a license that was still warm from the printing press.

Boom. Now she was in real estate.

So, what was next?

"Well," Scott went on to say, "We needed to help this agent get started working in the business right away."

Scott continued, "So we suggested that she hold a listing open for another agent in the office."

So this new agent agreed to do just that. But she didn’t just show up on a Saturday and sit in a corner.

She prepped for it. She researched the home, diving into every nook and cranny. Took the time to understand what made the neighborhood unique. And when Saturday came around, she was prepared to answer questions about the property and what made it special.

And you know what happened for her?

She got a new client from it.

A new client that was impressed by her knowledge of the home. A new client that was impressed by her knowledge of the market. A new client that was simply impressed by her.

For me, this story really resonated; I’ve always been a huge fan of doing instead of talking, and this agent really got going with doing something.

And that’s exciting.

For a lot of people, doing something doesn’t have to mean posting listings on Pinterest, or becoming the fictional mayor of the local sub shop.

It can mean something as simple as holding an Open House.

And with the Nationwide Open House Weekend coming up in April, now’s the time to get yourself ready with what you need to make your open houses successful ones.

After all, if a brand new agent can do it, you can too.

To help you get ready for the Nationwide Open House this April 28-29, we’re providing a set of tools and a free guide to "Holding an Effective Open."

Get the FREE tools here: http://marketing.realtor.com/openhousemonth/