Expand your database and grow your real estate business with Jen Berbas’ systematic plan for setting goals, hosting open houses, and following up with buyers.
You know that feeling when you’re preparing for a trip but don’t have enough time before your flight? You run around the house trying to remember what you need, but somehow you end up wandering into a strange city wearing only your pajama pants?
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If you have a list of things you need to bring, you will spend much less energy preparing for your trip. You can move faster and panic less. With proper planning, you can achieve great results with minimal stress.
You may be wondering what vacations have to do with open houses. I promise there’s a correlation, other than the infamous “get out of town and you’ll get a deal” thing. Grow Your Database If open houses are part of your 2026 plans, why not make it easier with a better plan that also predicts your hourly income?
definition of success
First, you need to define what success means to you. This will help you stay motivated, track your accomplishments, and narrow down your goals for the coming year.
When you set goals, you often have no control over the outcome. Rising interest rates or a pandemic are outside forces that can affect your final outcome, no matter how hard you work. Avoid setting sales goals that are susceptible to market forces, as this will reduce morale. Never.
Instead, set goals for activities you can control that will positively impact your business. Below are some examples of measurable goals that you have complete control over.
Meet 10 new people per week Host 30 open houses per year Meet 5 people at each open house Host 4 home buyer seminars per year
Calculate hourly wage
Before you start your open house program, build a process around it. Understand your goals so you can refine your program as you go.
If you can answer these questions, you can calculate how much you earn per hour or per open house (of course, there’s a spreadsheet for this).
How many people do you think you can meet at the open house? How many open houses will you hold? How many hours is the open house? (Don’t forget to account for travel and preparation time.) How many people will you have to meet to close a deal this year? What is the expected average price? What is your estimated professional fee?
Does this directly change the results? Probably not. Does it motivate you and make you feel like you can control the outcome? 100%. And motivation helps you stick with your plan.
Please select the appropriate property
Choose new listings that display well in the area you’re targeting. Look for a listing agent who can properly present your home, including high-quality photos, staging, and an environment that allows you to host neighborhood gatherings.
It also helps to always work with the same listing agent. You can learn from them, get good ideas, and get into a rhythm so you don’t have to start over with a new group every time.
tidy up
Think of an open house like hosting a party. Preparing is much easier when you create an “open house kit” that stores napkins, a stack of business cards, a sign-in sheet, pens, paper towels, a roll of toilet paper, Windex, and even a vacuum cleaner in a large plastic box. (And don’t forget the music.)
Leave a post-it note with a checklist of items in the trash can so you don’t forget anything. This makes the process less stressful and time efficient because you get the same experience every time.
buyer presentation
You should also have the buyer presentation downloaded to your iPad for easy access. You can stand out and show people that you have your own way of thinking and your own process. Most agencies are unorganized and poorly prepared, and consumers can feel it too.
share your data
The added value depends on how you look at the data and what you can teach consumers about the market. Please talk about your thoughts on the inventory in the area or how the overall market across the city may be trending differently. Tell them what makes the home you’re listing stand out compared to other homes that may be for sale in the neighborhood.
Serving Clients: Listing Agent
When hosting an open house, the client is the listing agent. Consistently well presented lists are rare. When you find an agent who upholds this high standard and helps you service their sellers, the relationship can be symbiotic and long-lasting.
Listing agents also need feedback to share with sellers. We ask hosting agents to send us a screenshot of their sign-in sheet with the number of visitors and their feedback before leaving their property.
The listing agent should also be able to follow up with the representative buyer’s agent as this is in the seller’s best interest. In some cases you may find it difficult to retrieve that information, but this script usually does the trick.
“Thank you for participating. As a seller, you are asking listing agents to obtain the agent names of those who are already representing you so that you can get feedback from your agents. Listing agents want to respect your wishes. If you would like, could you sign in and also leave your agent’s name so that the listing agent can contact you for feedback?”
Anyone who comes in without representation is your new best friend.
Well, what is it?
Now that you have your contact information, our job is to serve people first, and business will follow.
Here are some examples of how you can serve potential new customers.
Postcards, newsletters, and annual reviews Add to list Negotiate with vendors for maintenance services for all customers and add these open house friends to the list of people receiving offers Invite them to the next open house in your neighborhood (people love to come see homes) Start monthly market research on them in your area
The bigger your database, the more business you can do over time. Inspiring yourself to aggressively grow your database by setting measurable goals is a great way to move forward in the coming years.
Jen Barbas is a team leader at Barbas Group in Austin, Texas. Connect with her on Instagram and Linkedin.
