Open houses are a traditional part of the real estate business and a common place to find real estate agents on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Making the most of an open house allows real estate agents to maximize the time spent planning and staffing them. Here are some tips and tricks to make your open house event more successful.

Do Your Homework

Before crafting your open house, be sure you know what your competition is up to. You may want to attend some other open houses to see how homes are staged, what information real estate agents provide, and how they follow up. See what features agents point out and how visitors react.

Be sure to prepare legible, well-written property information sheets to distribute that include asking price, your contact information (email, website, and phone number), photos of exterior and interior, square footage, property taxes, school district, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and any appliances to be included.

Finally, make sure you have a sign-in sheet and business cards.

Drive Traffic

Ensure there is ample signage in the neighborhood and at key intersections. While GPS has made it easier to find homes, it’s still good to drive casual traffic and make sure people can find the home easily.

Consider offering food or drinks to those visiting. Coffee or tea on a cold day or cookies to stave away munchies (and keep kids happy) are inexpensive and can go a long way.

One possibility is to offer a raffle or giveaway to visitors. A gift card or tote bag can be a nice enticement and a great opportunity to follow up with winners.

Stage Appropriately

Work with your sellers to make sure they understand that the little things matter when it comes to an open house. Fresh towels on racks, a small flower arrangement, and the removal of furniture that can create a cluttered look are all good touches that improve the staging of the house. Even a little light music can add a nice touch.

Having photos available of the house in different seasons is a good way to help buyers envision themselves in the home year-round. If it’s a snowy or rainy day, those sunny photos can do wonders.

Be Active

When managing an open house, it’s a wasted opportunity to just sit in the kitchen. Be sure to offer buyers the opportunity for a guided tour. Point out any upgraded systems or appliances that will be staying. Show off automated or smart features that are incorporated into the home. Finally, be sure to offer to answer any questions and, if you don’t know the answers, to follow up with each would-be buyer. That said, many open house visitors are not looking for a formal engagement and may want to explore themselves.

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