This article was updated on March 4, 2022
One of the best ways to identify prospective clients, in many cases, is the open house sign-in sheet. By using an open house sign-in sheet, you can gather information about homebuyers to spearhead your real estate marketing strategy. The document can make sharing contact information, such as phone numbers and email addresses, simple for potential leads. Even with the pandemic turning most showings into virtual open houses, you can still plan accordingly by collecting visitor information online.
What is an open house?
If you're new to real estate, you might want to have a better understanding of an open house. An open house is a designated time that a home is open to be viewed by potential buyers. The real estate agent in charge of the property is present and is responsible for showing open house guests around and providing them with relevant information. Hosting an open house event is an essential marketing tool for your business because it allows you to showcase new listings to interested buyers and it showcases your knowledge base as an agent regarding the industry. Because so many people come and go from a single open house, a sign-in sheet is very helpful to keep track of all the interested buyers.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many real estate agents have had to get creative in how they show houses. Luckily, many have adapted to a virtual open house strategy that allows potential buyers to view new properties wherever they are. This has also helped with gathering information since all forms can be filled out online.
As a real estate agent or homeowner, you can benefit from a real estate open house sign-in sheet in many ways.
What are the benefits of having an open house sign-in sheet?
First, you can increase your chances of landing new clients or making a sale by following up with each open house visitor on your list by gathering their contact information.
The information gathered can be useful in future real estate marketing plans if your open house attendees are not yet ready to buy but are still in the market. For instance, you can contact potential clients whenever you are selling a real property similar to the one that had an open house. This is a great way to convert as many open house guests into real estate leads.
As an experienced real estate agent, you can showcase your local expertise when you call a potential buyer and discuss real estate issues with them. By being proactive about sharing relevant real estate market trends and answering their questions about home buying and selling, they might consider you when shopping for a property in the future.
With a comprehensive sign-up sheet, you can learn a lot about your open house attendees like where they currently reside. You can follow up with them with other properties located in neighborhoods matching their taste. Ultimately, you'll provide a more personalized and better customer experience.
So, how do you bring people into your open house?
Nextdoor Real Estate gives real estate agents the unique ability to reach real people at real addresses, and share local news and upcoming events like open houses that encourage in-person meetings in the neighborhood.
It's real estate marketing – and relationship building – at a hyperlocal level. Promote your listing property and get potential home buyers and sellers in the neighborhood to visit your next open house with one of the open house sign-in sheet template examples below.
Common open house sign-in sheet mistakes to avoid
If you want a successful open house event, you should try to avoid the following common sign-in sheet mistakes:- Putting the open house sign-in sheet in the wrong location: Location is very important. You want to make the sign-in sheet visible so that you can gather information from all of the open house guests.
- Illegible handwriting: It is inevitable, but there are ways to avoid this issue. The solution is to be present when an open house visitor is signing in. If you notice that their handwriting is not legible, you can ask questions to get clarification from the visitor.
- You're not starting conversations with attendees: The objective of an open house is to have conversations with all attendees. The open house sign-in sheet acts as the ice breaker for a real estate agent to have an initial conversation to a prospective buyer.
What should an open house sign-in sheet include?
You can adopt sign-in sheets discussed in this post and customize them with ideas from a Google search. An open house sign-in sheet is one of the best real estate tools because it is a way for you to get potential client information. The best open house sign-in sheet to use should begin with the following:
- Name of your real estate agency (or your name if you are the host)
- The physical address of the property
- Date of the upcoming open house
Ask yourself: What do you want to learn about prospective buyers? The answers should guide the information you request on a sheet. Whether you go for an in-person or virtual open house, be sure to collect the same information from all prospective buyers.
Here are the best free open house sign-in sheets you can apply in real estate marketing.
Finding the best templates
You don't have to design your open house sign-in sheets from scratch. Many printable templates for real estate signs are available online. You can go for a sheet PDF printout or customize a simple open house sign-up template on your iPad.
Simple (basic) sign-in sheet template
If you are looking for the primary contact information of potential homebuyers, prepare a basic open house template. Ask the customers to fill out the following details:
- Name
- Current address
- Telephone or mobile number
- Email address
You may also consider including an email marketing opt-in to the open house sign-in sheet. It helps to clarify that you will be contacting leads via email. Potential customers who sign in will be expecting to hear from you.
Full sign-in sheet
A full open house sign-in sheet has all the details of a simple template plus a brief survey at the end. The additional question helps the real estate agent better understand the customer.
Typically, the open house sign-in sheet asks for the client's name and basic contact information. You can also include a statement of email marketing opt-in, and ask how the client heard about your open house event.
The question of how a customer learned about an open house event can help determine which marketing channels or tools work best. For instance, is social media more effective than making a phone call?
Detailed sign-in sheet plus questionnaire
Consider the detailed sign-in sheet. Ask your leads to fill out a questionnaire with multiple-choice answers. The customer's response will give you a wealth of information on the potential buyer's status and preferences.
New leads may be reluctant to give too much information about themselves, both online and in person. So, to get a prospective buyer to sign up, be honest and genuine about how you'll use their information. When they arrive at your open house, have a conversation to develop a good rapport or call them over the phone before your virtual open house. Convey to them you are working in their best interest to help them with their real estate needs.
The survey provides answers to common questions asked by real estate agents to clients. By using such a template, sellers and homebuyers can skip irrelevant discussions and address critical concerns.
Apart from the name, address, phone number, and email address, the real estate agent can ask additional questions such as:
- What are your current needs in real estate?
- Which kind of properties are you looking for?
- What is your budget?
- Do you have a timeline for buying the property?
- What could we do to make you buy this property?
- How did you get informed about this open house?
- Are you only purchasing or do you have a property to sell?
Providing questions will help you capture the needs of target customers to generate potential leads. Asking the right questions ultimately serves customers by guiding them to find the best home for their needs. Don't forget to include a statement of email marketing opt-in. Due to the complexity of the template, design it such that customers only have to tick boxes to deliver the desired information. The easier your open house sign-in sheet is, the more inclined interested buyers will be to fill it out. It is a win-win situation, and it will make for a successful open house.
