If you want a REALLY successful open house, you need to advertise the heck out of it, so that as many people know about it as possible. Be prepared to take out an ad in the Sunday paper that people will easily notice. Be creative and inventive when describing the open house, and be sure to include the address, the date and time, and any pertinent information that will make people either call you about it or show up (like offer free lunch but ask that people RSVP so you know how much food to get). You can check out our piece on newspaper marketing for some more ideas.

Recommendation: When deciding the date and time of your open house, keep in mind that Sundays are the best day for them, but it may not hurt to do a Saturday and Sunday open house. Also, if you’re gonna do it, do it! Don’t just hold an open house for an hour or two, make it three minimum. The ideal time for an open house is from about 12P to 4P. Keep in mind that most people coming to your open house will be stopping by other open houses as well.

Keep an eye out for yard sales in the area – they’re a great way to create a buzz about your open house. If the yard sale is on a Saturday and your open house is the next day, consider having the open house on Saturday as well. Ask the people holding the yard sale if you can put an open house sign in their yard and offer them $20 to do so. Not only will many of the yard sale folk wind up headed to your open house, but they’ll probably wind up telling friends about it, especially if you’re providing refreshments or free gifts.

Also be sure to send email alert to all the buyers you’re working with and any and all buyer leads in your pipeline. Also notify every real estate agent in the market, so as many people as possible know about the open house. Make sure you mention the open house on your website, particularly as a blog entry. If you’ve got a decent following of readers, this can send good traffic to your open house.

Co-founder Rory Wilfong found that using many directional signs in a large radius around the property helped direct traffic to his open houses. He wouldn’t just put an “Open House This Way” sign up the street from the home, but at most of the major intersections within a quarter to a half of mile, along with some big, bright balloons to catch attention (be sure to save some for the kids at the open house!). As a matter of fact, Rory would put out so many signs that fellow co-founder Dave Conklin jokes that if Rory were having an open house in Lancaster, PA, you’d see signs and balloons for it up in New York. It’s those sort of broad-minded aggressive tactics that lead to success in real estate.