Estate agent marketing · 5 min read
Open House Marketing Checklist: A 7-Day Plan to Turn Online Interest Into Viewings
An open house is a marketing event with a fixed date, so it needs its own campaign rather than a line added to the listing. People who saved the listing online need a reason to come, a clear time and place, and a simple way to tell you they are coming. This open house marketing checklist gives agents a seven-day plan covering the event invite, RSVP, safety, attendance notes and follow-up, so online interest becomes recorded visits and booked second viewings.
Before day one: decide what this open house is for
Agree the goal with the seller first. A first-weekend open house for a newly listed home aims at broad exposure; a second event after a price review aims at buyers who looked but did not book. The goal decides who you invite, which features you lead with and what you count afterwards.
Confirm practical limits at the same time: the hours the seller can vacate, parking, which rooms are open, whether pets will be away, and who will host with you. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) open house guidance stresses safety planning, including having homeowners remove or hide pets, valuables, prescription drugs and sensitive personal papers, working with a colleague, and not giving out door or garage codes.
Hypothetical example: a small-apartment open house
This example is hypothetical; the flat and figures are invented. A one-bedroom fourth-floor apartment with a lift and a south-facing balcony has had steady online saves but few viewing requests. The agent plans a two-hour weekday evening event, caps the number of visitors inside at four because the rooms are small, and asks RSVP guests to choose a 30-minute arrival window. The reason to attend is the evening light on the balcony. The follow-up measure is simple: how many attendees book a second viewing within a week.
Day 1 (seven days out): fix the facts and the time
Choose the date and time window and write them the same way everywhere. Weekend afternoons are traditional, but a broker quoted in NAR's 2023 article on open houses describes hosting twilight weekday events because some buyers find them easier than a Sunday slot. Pick based on your buyers, not habit.
- Verify the facts you will advertise: rooms, outside space, parking, recent works.
- Ask the seller for running costs they are willing to share, such as heating and utilities; NAR's guidance suggests including them on the open house flyer.
- Write a one-line reason to attend that is specific to this home, such as seeing the light in the garden room in person.
Day 2: prepare the event assets
Choose three to five current, accurate listing photos: one exterior or entrance image for recognition, the main living space, and the feature named in your reason to attend. Make a square or vertical invite graphic showing the date, time and area, plus a short clip if you have one. Every asset should match what visitors will actually walk into on the day.
Day 3: publish an event page with a simple RSVP
Give the open house its own destination: a section on the listing page or a short event page with the date, the time window, parking notes, accessibility notes and the photos you chose. Add an RSVP form asking only for name, email or phone, preferred arrival window and one optional question, such as whether they are selling first.
Say clearly whether walk-ins are welcome, and explain how contact details will be used. Collect only what you need, follow the privacy law and brokerage policy that apply in your market, and do not add people to unrelated marketing lists without permission.
Day 4: tell the people already interested
Start with warm interest: buyers who enquired about this listing, buyers registered for similar homes, and past viewers of comparable properties. Send a short personal message with the date, the reason to attend and the RSVP link. Then update every listing destination that supports open house times.
NAR's article recommends advertising at least two days before the event, using social media, MLS listings, showing-scheduling sites, major real estate websites, email and well-placed signs. Starting on day four leaves time for reminders.
Day 5: post the social invite
Post one event-specific social invite rather than a general listing post. Lead with the strongest accurate image or clip, put the date and time in the first line, and link to the RSVP page. Add captions to any video and write a full, readable description of the time and area for people using screen readers.
- Feed or vertical post: date, time window, neighbourhood and the reason to attend.
- Story or short clip the day before: a reminder that links to the same RSVP page.
- Optional neighbour note: neighbours often know someone who is looking.
Two invitation captions to adapt
Replace the brackets with verified details and keep the date and time in the first line.
- "Open house [Saturday 2–4 pm] at [street, area]. Come and see [the morning light in the kitchen / the private garden] in person. RSVP for parking details: [link]. Walk-ins welcome."
- "Saved this home online? See it in person on [Tuesday 5–7 pm]. [Two bedrooms, balcony, lift access]. Reserve an arrival time: [link]."
Day 6: confirm, remind and print
Send RSVP holders a reminder with parking details and the arrival window. Print the flyer with verified facts, running costs the seller approved and a QR code to the listing. NAR's article also describes agents preparing neighbourhood information sheets covering local amenities and distances, which helps visitors picture daily life without you making claims you cannot support.
Prepare an attendance sheet or tablet form with columns for name, contact method, whether they are working with an agent, how they heard about the event, and a notes field for questions they asked.
Day 7: run the open house
Arrive early to walk the property, open doors, switch on lights and check that valuables and personal papers are away. Keep to the safety plan: a colleague on site, a check-in with your office and a manageable number of people inside at once.
During the event, record how many visitors came, which RSVPs attended, and what people asked about. Questions about storage, noise or parking are useful information for the seller and your next marketing step.
Within 24 hours: follow up and report
Thank every attendee who gave contact details, answer the questions they asked and offer a private second viewing. Contact RSVPs who did not come and offer another time. NAR's article encourages asking for feedback and keeping a detailed record of who attended for future communication.
Report to the seller with numbers you can stand behind: RSVPs, attendance, second viewings booked and recurring objections. Keep social reach separate; views of the invite show awareness, not buying intent.
- RSVP rate: RSVPs divided by people invited directly.
- Show rate: attending RSVPs divided by total RSVPs.
- Conversion to viewing: second viewings booked divided by attendees with contact details.
A consent-aware follow-up message
Send this only to attendees who gave contact details and agreed to hear from you about this property. Adapt it to your brokerage's privacy notice.
"Hi [Name], thank you for visiting [Address] on [Day]. You asked about [question]; here is the answer: [answer]. If you would like a private second viewing, reply with a time that suits you. You gave us your details for updates on this property only; reply STOP and we will not contact you again about it."
Where short property clips fit
A short clip of the reason to attend can make the social invite and reminder feel more like an event than a repeated photo. Vellivo creates short promotional scenes from listing photos you have permission to use. Review every scene against the real room, keep it clearly promotional, and keep the original photos and floor plan as the factual record.