I’ve never thought much about gimmicky Open Houses, but yesterday I did one.
As I’ve been rethinking some of my marketing strategies (both old and new school), one that has 
always worked well for me is Open Houses. With almost all of my listings, Opens are an important element of my plan to get them sold.
This weekend, I added a wrinkle.
You know how some agents complain that, “When I hold an Open House, just the nosy neighbors show up!” That’s what happened on Saturday with my Opne at 2728 Unicorn Lane NW.
A failure, you ask? Oh, no!
I did an unadvertised first Open House, by invitation just to the neighbors. With the help of my seller, I had 90 invitations hand-delivered to each home in the complex. And while I’ve usually sent the neighbors invitations to my first Sunday Open, this time I held one on Saturday, served refreshments, and I made it for neighbors only.
Why encourage nosy neighbors going so far as to lure them in with wine and cheese? Well, many of the listings that I marketed to neighbors wound up selling to one of their friends who happened to be looking.
This is a pretty tightly knit group of neighbors. Many had seen the “before” version of this beautiful home. But with the “after”, my sellers have created a Wow House.
So will any of the many neighbors who came by yesterday buy the place? Highly doubtful! But what a couple have promised is a return trip today, with a friend or colleague who they’d love to have as a neighbor.
