Open houses open doors to buying opportunities! So what could be better than a weekend full of open houses, encouraging people to tour homes and learn more about the benefits of home ownership. That’s the promise of the 2011 REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend. Plan to be a part of the campaign, hosted by participating state and local REALTOR® associations on Saturday and Sunday, June 4-5.

The Nationwide Open House Weekend offers buyers a stress-free way to visit homes for sale in different neighborhoods where they might want to live. For sellers, the weekend provides a high-visibility effort to promote traffic and drive home sales.

Frank Russo, President of the West Maricopa Association of REALTORS® says open houses remain a good way to showcase properties.

“There is an outstanding inventory of homes today that offer buyers their choice of amenities and price points. Low interest rates are compounding great values available. The time is right to participate in the open house campaign,” Russo said.

The event was inspired by a statewide open house held two years ago by the Washington Association of REALTORS®. Impressed by its effectiveness, REALTORS® expressed interest in taking it nationwide. About 60 percent of state and local associations responded in 2010 by holding the first nationwide open house event. 2011 will dramatically expand the campaign, with even greater numbers expected to participate.

What Can You Expect?

Plan to join this historic event by holding open houses on June 4 and 5. REALTOR® efforts will be advanced by:

• Promotional support from WeMAR, including providing REALTOR® balloons and marketing logos.
• A brief article you can customize and use in your own newsletter and/or on your Web site.
• Blue REALTOR® balloons to display at your open houses to increase their visibility.

Brokerages will be encouraged to:

• Rally widespread interest among their agents, to increase the scope and power of the nationwide open house event.
• Support agents’ efforts with promotional materials, such as hand-out maps of participating open houses.
• Review tips for safe and successful open houses.

The Promotion Works!

The REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend does indeed drive traffic. In Pennsylvania, agent Vickie Brockelman, broker-owner for Commonwealth Real Estate Your Way LLC in Brodheadsville, Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono, attributed a major sale to the 2010 promotion. Contributing to the “How I Sold It” column of REALTOR® magazine [LINK: http://www.realtor.org/rmosales_and_marketing/howisoldit/columns/1008_howisoldit_nationwideopenhouse], Brockelman said open houses are unusual in her market because of its many secured and gated communities with long distances between the homes. The REALTOR® Nationwide Open House Weekend prompted her brokerage to hold open houses anyway, supported by a “real marketing extravaganza.”

Brockelman’s local real estate association, the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS®, worked with its area newspaper to offer discounted advertising to event participants.

“The Nationwide Open House was key to this sale,” Brockelman said. “Advertising drew the buyer in and skills of the people on site helped the buyer make an informed decision. We also secured two additional contracts during the event, both on homes over $250,000.”

In Illinois, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® also secured discounted newspaper advertising for participating brokerages and conducted extensive media relations. The 2010 event was featured in a nightly television news segment that focused on the number of open houses consumers could see across the city, including some instances of different floor plans within the same condo building.

“All the way around, participation in this high-profile marketing event makes sense,” said President Russo. “We look forward to supporting our agents and contributing to their successes.”