The Altman Close

Chapter 20ON THE BATTLEFIELD: MORE ON OPEN HOUSES AND BROKER’S OPENS

I’m not trying to be cocky here; it’s kind of just fact. I am the open house king. I might even lobby to trademark the term. Open houses are like birthday parties to me, except year after year they make me feel younger, more alive, ready to open, work, close. I love ’em. Not only do I work the listing the open house is for, but also I meet new people, form alliances with new brokers and industry players, and open new clients.

I’m having a hard time talking about war and battle here because an open house just puts a smile on my face. Then again, so does the fight of the deal, the battle of real estate, the war of negotiation. Have I mentioned that I love those too?

Open houses are the cornerstone of selling strategy. They mark the open battlefield and the beginning of the bloodshed. (I introduced open houses for brokers, insiders, and buyers in Part I and touched on the basics.) Now it’s time to explain how you use them to plow your way through the front lines, taking names, weeding out the weak on your way to the king you plan to dethrone.

Always keep learning. Agents worth their salt will continue to check out other agent’s open houses, even off the clock, if there is such a thing in this game. You’ll see what works and what doesn’t. Even today with a family of my own, I’ll slip out on Sundays for a couple of hours to visit open houses in neighborhoods I’m curious about. I can get face-to-face with real buyers ...