How to Host a "Not so Average" Open House

Are you an agent considering hosting an open house for a property that is on the market? This may seem surprising, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to make the house feel like home. We have some simple but effective tips on how to host an event that will not be forgotten!

1. Come up with a theme

First things first, you need to come up with a theme! Brainstorm annnnnnd ………..GO!

Your goal is to make the visitors feel at home, while still providing an experience that they won’t forget.

A theme is important because it helps establish the atmosphere. Your goal is to make the visitors feel at home, while still providing an experience that they won’t forget. While you can do whatever kind of theme you would like, we suggest that you stick with something that is fun without being too corny. Think about the type of home you are showing… is it Spanish hacienda style—if so, consider serving an assortment of tapas and some fruity sangria. Are you hosting in a Tudor style home? Try serving drinks in goblets for a medieval vibe (without all the beheadings and black plague). If you are hosting in a ranch style home maybe try serving buttermilk biscuits and fried green tomatoes (with ranch dressing of course!). The point is to commit to a theme and really adhere to it; everyone loves a good theme especially when there is free food and drinks. Am I right or am I right?

2. Involve the community

A great way to take your theme and run with it, is to involve community members when hosting your open house. 

Reach out to a local business and see if they want to join, or maybe even contribute to your open house! The local baker, coffee shop, winery, or local cheese shop can solidify that sense of community for your hopeful homebuyers. This little push from the community could be just what you need to spark a memorable dialogue between yourself and the potential buyers.

If you want to have a bit of an artsier event, you could invite a local artist to show some of their pieces. Not only could you do this for relatively cheap, if not for free, but also it adds an air of sophistication and class to any event, while still involving the local community.

3. Make it an experience

Don’t just stand around and let the visitors tour the home on their own.

Who knows more about this home than the owners? Consider talking with the owners and learning the history of the home. Hear their stories of the time they spent there, and share those with the guests of your open house. Don’t just stand around and let the visitors tour the home on their own. Walk with them through the house and have a great story about each room, a story that changed the house into a HOME for the owners. Personal stories like these can help the potential homebuyers to picture themselves in the house, making memories of their own. The most important thing you can do is allowing the potential homebuyers an experience that they will not get at any other open house. It is important to help them see the house as a potential HOME for them and their family.

There you have it! Make sure to have a theme, involve the community, and above all else be sure to provide an experience so that everyone who walks through the door can’t forget your open house! Oh yeah… and have fun! If you enjoy yourself, your guests will too!

- Brittany, Marketing and Customer Support Associate

Keeping up With the Terms

In a world where we work to make everything faster and more efficient, we have also begun to shorten our vocabulary. We use more slang terms and acronyms in our texts, emails, and especially on social media. If you feel like you’ve fallen behind, don’t worry – we’re here to help you keep up. Here are the 10 social media acronyms and hip terms that we think you should know.

1. DM vs. PM

In the world of Twitter, DM’s are “direct messages” that are shared between two users who follow each other. On other platforms, these messages are called PM’s, or “private messages”.

2. GIF

Aside from the controversial topic of how this term is pronounced, GIF stands for “graphic interchange format”. A GIF is an image (usually enticing a laugh) that moves as an animation and is used to add emotion and emphasis to your thoughts.

3. Meme

A meme is a concept, catchphrase, idea, or piece of media that spreads like wildfire across social media channels. The purpose of memes is typically to spread humor from person to person on various subjects by adding texts to comical images. If you are active on social media (which we highly suggest) it is likely that you have seen various memes spread across your social feeds.

4. RT

There is a plethora of information on social media. Twitter for example is a strong platform for things such as news and even just random intellectual thoughts. See something you agree with? Repost that users tweet, or rather “retweet” (RT) it.

5. TBT

Otherwise known as “Throwback Thursday”, people utilize this day to show off their best childhood glamour shots, or the lunch they ate last week. It helps other users relate to you, and encourages them to post a TBT as well!

6. SEO

Is your goal to get more people to your website? “Search engine optimization” is the best way to get there. SEO refers the key words a business chooses to use in their content that will rank them higher in search engines. Take some time to think about keywords you should be using, and get more action on your site!

7. CTA

If you are an active marketer, it is likely that you have a website, or have run some type of advertising campaign in your career. A CTA is a “call to action” that entices people on the web to either purchase your product, click on your ad, or request more information about your services. Popular CTA phrases include “Learn More”, “Sign up Free”, “Get Started”, and more. Do any of these ring a bell? They were likely the phrases that convinced you to sign up for that free 30-day trial of a new program. Start utilizing these CTA’s and start gaining more business!

Popular CTA phrases include “Learn More”, “Sign up Free”, “Get Started”, and more.

8. CPC

Another important term for a marketer is CPC. Defined as the “cost per click”, this term will tell you how much you are spending each time a user clicks on an advertisement that you are running. Whether on Facebook, Google, or other advertising platforms, the cost per click will tell you how relevant your advertisement is to your audience. The lower the cost per click, the more clicks you can receive with your given ad budget. Take a look at this number the next time you are in your Facebook ads manager, to see if you should be making changes to your ads.

9. ROI

Anytime you run an advertisement or purchase something to help grow your business, you are likely hoping to make some sales in return. ROI, or “return on investment” is the monetary value that you gain in relation to the money you spent to make it. In other words, this number will tell you if that investment you made last year really paid off.

10. UGC

People trust people. UGC is “user generated content” – essentially posts, reviews, videos, etc. created by consumers. It has been shown that 70% of people trust images taken from ‘people like them’ over brand created images according to Reevoo. Take this tip and create a contest, or promotional idea and get your consumers involved. Repost their content and see how other consumers relate to it!

70% of people trust images taken from ‘people like them’ over brand created images.

If you felt out of the loop with your social lingo, we hope this cheat sheet helped. Let us know if you learned something, or have another term that you think should be in the top 10. We love hearing from you! Like we said, UGC is important, and we’d love to share yours!

- Alicia, Marketing Assistant