When it comes to writing great open house follow-up emails, most new agents don’t have a clue. They either try way too hard, or worse, dump them into a drip campaign. The secret to writing follow-up emails that convert is to give leads something they want and make it easy for them to get it from you. Simple!
To show you how simple it can be, we put together this list of the best open house follow-up emails to send in 2022. After the emails, we’ll give you seven expert tips for boosting open and response rates.
1. The Off-market Listings Invitation Email
Subject line: Your Private Invite: Get the Best Listings BEFORE They Hit the Market!
Hi [contact name],
Thanks for stopping by my open house at [listing address] this Sunday. As you can imagine, these things can get hectic, so apologies if we didn’t have the opportunity to talk longer.
If you’re still interested in homes in [neighborhood] like [listing address], I’d love to invite you to my private Off-market Listings Alert emails.
Here’s how it works:
- Once a week, I send you the latest and greatest listings the minute (or before) they hit the market.
- If you want to see one, you can schedule an appointment right from the email. Simple!
The only catch is that these emails would be more helpful if I know what you’re looking for.
When would be a good time to set up a quick call so I can tailor this list to your needs?
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
2. The Coffee Meet Email
Subject line: Coffee This Week? (on me)
Hi [contact name],
Thanks for stopping by my open house this weekend at [listing address].
As you know, these things can be kind of crazy for agents, so apologies if I didn’t get a chance to chat with you in more detail about your hunt.
To make it up to you, I’d like to invite you over to the Starbucks near my office in [office location] for a cup of coffee (on me) to talk about how your search is going.
I’ve been in the industry for [years in real estate] years, so happy to just talk about the market, your expectations, or anything else you’d like to talk about.
My schedule fills up quickly these days, so click below to reserve a time on my calendar below.
[link to scheduling app]
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
3. The Honest Feedback Email
Subject line: Did You Hate It…?
Hi [contact name],
So nice meeting you this weekend at my open house at [listing address].
The reason I’m reaching out is to get some honest feedback for the listing. Did you hate it? Love it? In between?
I’m looking for honest feedback, no punches pulled, because I didn’t get to this position in my career by lying to my homeowners!
If you have a few minutes, I’d love to chat with you about your thoughts on [listing address] and your experience home-hunting in [neighborhood] in general.
Click below to schedule a call later this week.
[link to scheduling app]
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
Pro tip: If you’re serious about collecting emails at your open houses, an open house sign-in app like Spacio will offer a significant return on investment (ROI). Spacio will not only get you more numbers and emails, but will verify them and dig up social media profiles as well—automatically. It also sends out automated follow-up emails instantly and produces professional seller reports.
4. The Comparable Listings Email
Subject line: If You Liked [your open house address], You’ll LOVE These!
Hi [contact name],
Thanks for stopping by my open house at [listing address] this Sunday. As you can imagine, these things can get hectic, so apologies if we didn’t have the opportunity to talk longer.
I just wanted to drop you a quick line to offer no-strings-attached showings for these [number of bedrooms] bedrooms that I think would be perfect for you.
Which works better for a showing, Saturday or Sunday?
P.S.: If you’re not interested in these listings, let’s grab a cup of coffee (on me) sometime this week to try and narrow down what you’re looking for.
Click below to schedule an appointment.
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
5. The Open House Opinion Email
Subject line: I Need Your Opinion…
Hi [contact name],
Thanks for stopping by my open house this weekend at [listing address].
Really quick, what did you think of the open house?
I try to make my open houses fun and informative experiences for all my guests, but because we get so busy, I don’t always have enough time to hear from every guest.
I would love to get your feedback, warts and all. If something went wrong, that would help me get it right next time.
We can also chat about the market if you’d like. I have [number of years in real estate] years of experience in [your farm area], so I can talk about this market for days … I’m an open book!
What’s a good day to chat?
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
6. The Personal Connection Follow-up Email
Subject line: I Have to Ask…
Hi [contact name],
So nice chatting with you about dogs at my open house at [listing address] this Sunday.
If you or any of your dog-loving friends are looking for some no-nonsense real estate advice, would you be willing to come to my weekly Real Estate Q&A Session at [name of the local bar]?
The bar actually allows dogs, so feel free to bring [dog’s name] along.
If you’re busy on Sunday, let’s keep in touch on LinkedIn. I don’t share any listings there, but I occasionally write articles about real estate that might come in handy someday.
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
7. The Hot Lead Email
Subject line: This Weekend
Hi [contact name],
This is [your name] from the open house at [listing address] this Sunday.
I didn’t get your phone number, so I thought I would reach out here instead.
Just a quick heads-up, we have several pending offers on [the listing address] and wanted to give you the inside track since you loved the backyard so much.
Call me to talk. I can also set up some showings for three places. I know the owners will be flexible on pricing for you.
Call me on my cell when you get this: [your cell phone number]
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
8. The Open House Thank-you Card
Have open house guests you got along with swimmingly? Instead of sending an email (and assuming you have an address), you should think about sending a simple, handwritten, old-fashioned thank-you card. If you don’t have a home address and know where they work, send it to their office to their attention. Here’s an example of what you might say:
Hi [contact name],
Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for being patient with me at my open house at [listing address]. These things can get busy, and FAST!
Looking forward to meeting up to talk about strategy and go out to see some listings!
Talk soon,
[Your pen and ink signature]
[Your name and cell number]
9. The Buyer’s Seminar Email
Subject line:
Hi [contact name],
This is [your name] from the open house at [listing address] this Sunday.
I just wanted to reach out to invite you to my new buyer’s seminar I am hosting at [local bar] next Wednesday at 7:30. I will be covering the many ways that buying in [your farm area] has changed this year. I also invited a mortgage broker for the Q&A session.
Feel free to call me on my cell if you have any questions before the seminar: [your cell phone number] If not, I hope to see you on Wednesday!
Best regards,
[Your name and title]
[Your contact info]
7 Tips for Boosting Open & Response Rates for House Follow-up Emails
1. Always Include a Call to Action (CTA)
When it comes to real estate marketing, one of the biggest mistakes we see Realtors make time and time again is forgetting to include a call to action (CTA). Open house follow-up emails are no different. If you don’t include a short, snappy, and actionable line asking your leads to take action (hence the name), you’re leaving money on the table.
To maximize your contact rates for your emails, website, and even voicemails, always include a short, actionable CTA that will inspire your leads to pick up the phone and call you.
2. Avoid Spammy Words in Your Subject Line
Although Google doesn’t release the exact criteria that can land your emails into someone’s “promotional” folder, or god forbid, their spam folder, there are a few best practices you can follow to make sure.
The first and most crucial step is to avoid using spammy words in the subject line or even the body of your emails. Words like “free,” “limited time offer,” and “Call now” can trip Google’s spam filters and ensure your message is never even read.
3. Follow Up Your Email With a Phone Call
If you’re not already doing it, you should make an effort always to follow up your open house thank-you emails with a quick, personal phone call. NO SLYDIAL.
Here’s Sotheby’s One Miami luxury agent, Selen Arditi, on her excellent open house follow-up system:
“The email should be followed up with a phone call to continue that personal attention and opening the line of communication to address any questions they may have.”
Selen Arditi
4. Avoid Using Questions That Can Be Answered With a Simple ‘No’
This is an old negotiating trick that we learned from several sources, most notably former FBI hostage negotiator Christopher Voss. Like many highly effective persuasion strategies, this one is dead-simple. All you need to do is replace any questions that can be answered with a simple “no” with more open-ended questions.
Here’s a quick example:
Instead of asking your lead if they have time to meet this weekend, ask them which day works better to meet, Saturday or Sunday?
The only caveat here is that you need to be careful not to come across as aggressive or forceful. Both can turn off prospective clients, buyers especially.
5. Keep Your Follow-up Emails Short & Sweet
Another common mistake we see agents make with open house follow-up emails is writing long, detailed emails chock-full of information. They always say the same thing: “But I want to give them as much information as possible!”
While this may be a noble gesture, it’s the kiss of death in the email marketing world for a straightforward reason. People are busy. Very few will have the time to open, let alone read, your 800-word email. Instead, try to stick to 250 to 350 words. This length is ideal because it only takes your lead a minute or two to read and get your message.
6. Try to Move the Conversation Past the Open House
This one is a bit trickier but worthwhile to try and master. While the open house gives you the excuse to email them in the first place, it’s often not a very interesting topic of conversation.
Instead, try to steer the conversation toward something more interesting in your first email. If you’re looking for a hint, learn every human being’s favorite word, their name, and a favorite topic of conversation—their wants and needs.
7. Use a Scheduling App
A scheduling app like Calendly can help improve the response rate on your emails dramatically because it makes scheduling an appointment with you easy. Instead of going back and forth with five emails, all they need to do is click on a button and choose a time.
Over to You
Have a great open house follow-up email template you think deserves to be in this article? Let us know in the comments. If you’re looking for more open house advice, check out our 29 Open House Ideas That Will Actually Get You Leads and our free open house sign-in sheets.
Tell us about you so we know what to send.
