Property open houses are a tried-and-true tool for marketing residential spaces, especially in cooling markets where buyers have more time to consider all of their options. Despite being an industry standard for marketing real estate, open houses are also one of the most labor-intensive methods of attracting potential buyers and new clientele.

To make the most of the investment in time in labor, brokers need to come up with unique open house ideas that leave a positive impression and maximize marketing potential. Below are cool open house ideas that will make the most of your home marketing strategy.

Film a Virtual Open House Tour

By the time the property is ready for an open house, the home should be spotlessly clean and beautifully staged or curated. Since the home is ready to show to the public, an open house is a perfect time to gather supplemental footage for social media posts — allowing brokers to further maximize their listing’s marketing potential.

Before your open house begins, take walkthrough footage of the home starting from the curb. Slowly move into the home, capturing 360-degree angles of each room including the living space, kitchen, dining area, primary bedroom, and any other notable features such as a home office or finished basement. Be sure to capture footage of the backyard space, balconies, or terraces, if applicable.

When you are ready to edit the footage, use a simple editing tool such as CapCut to take clips straight from your phone into the app. Feel free to cut away any supplemental footage, such as storage closets or HVAC systems, to keep the video under a minute long.

Not sure what else to include in your video? Take a note from the social media pros at StreetEasy. Each walkthrough home tour includes the home’s price and location within the first few seconds of the video — a perfect way to entice potential buyers. Just make sure to add your titles in the native platform, such as Instagram or TikTok, to maximize your exposure.

Pro tip: Do not narrate the tour while filming the footage. Instead, create a voiceover in your video editing software in a quiet, echo-free space. Doing so will result in clearer communication about the home and will allow you to edit out any mistakes such as tripping over words or long pauses.

Entice the Community with a Neighbors-Only Invitation

Incredible neighborhoods are the main wishlist item for potential buyers, especially for those seeking to upgrade their homes in the same location. When current residents wish to stay in their neighborhood but are looking to upgrade their living situation, the perfect way to entice these potential buyers is to host a neighbors-only open house.

Hosting an open house limited to nearby neighbors amplifies exclusivity and a sense of community. Additionally, neighbors of the property may opt to bring along a friend or family member that is interested in moving into the neighborhood, adding an extra layer of possibility to the event. To create a neighbors-only open house, brokers can opt to hand-deliver invitations to the surrounding homes or purchase a mailing list to distribute the invitations automatically. By hand-delivering the invitations, brokers can include an enticing gift, such as candy or bag of coffee, for extra cool points.

Pro tip: If you can’t host multiple open houses to different audiences, you can market the neighbors-only open house as a “preview” by opening the door to the locals one to two hours before the general public. Doing so ensures that sellers only have to sacrifice one late morning/early afternoon while still giving their neighbors an exclusive view of the home.

Cater the Event with a Local Restaurant

Ah, food and beverages — the great equalizers for all gatherings, big and small. For real estate agents, food is also a great tool to coax visitors to an open house. Rather than baking a sheet of cookies — as tried and true as that method may seem — a unique idea for an open house is to have the event catered by a local restaurant. Popular neighborhood haunts typically offer catering options ranging from grazing tables to full-scale buffets. Although the latter is a cool option for client appreciation events, a simple charcuterie spread or hors d'oeuvres table with suffice for an open house.

Make sure to include a note about the catering in your open house invitation and social media posts, especially if the caterer is locally renowned in the area. Nothing brings the crowds quite like complimentary bites and sips.

Pro tip: If you’re making goodie bags for your open house (which you totally should), add a thoughtful touch from the local caterer to tie in the message of community. The item can be a discount code or a non-perishable food item such as a sampler of honey or tea.

Get More Leads with a Giveaway

Whether your open house guests provide their contact information through an old-school sign-in sheet or by using an app like CurbHero, there is little to entice visitors to give up their valuable personal information, even if they are seeking the services you provide as a real estate agent. Personally, I use a burner email address given how many agents still have me on their marketing lists no matter how many times I have clicked “unsubscribe.” That is, unless, I decide I want to work with the agent or if the agent is offering something in return for my contact information.

Brokers can win more leads and avoid receiving false contact information by having guests sign into an open house to enter a giveaway or raffle. A giveaway is a unique idea for real estate open houses as guests are offered something tangible in exchange for their information. Giveaways do not have to be extravagant — a gift card to a local boutique, a zero-waste home kit, or a home decor subscription box are just thoughtful enough to nudge leads without breaking the bank.

Pro Tip: Adjust the cost of the giveaway item based on the list price of the home. Open house giveaways for luxury listings could include a complimentary weekend stay at a luxe resort, while an open house giveaway for smaller condos can include a $79 online interior design package. As always, do what feels best for you and your listing!

Tell a Story with Property Feature Cards

Every home has a distinct story to tell. During an open house, it is critical that the home’s story is told in a clear and cohesive way. A packed open house is a good problem to have, but it may prevent brokers from engaging with every individual visitor to talk through some of the home’s most amazing features as they experience the property. Enter: a secret weapon that costs less than $5.

Property feature notecards are small sheets of card stock with information about the home that may not be readily apparent. The cards can be placed throughout the home to help open house guests identify cool features, such as high-end finishes or thoughtful touches. For example, a notecard placed by a thermostat may indicate the home’s Wi-Fi-enabled heating and cooling features, while a notecard situated in the primary bathroom can tell guests about the room’s radiant heat flooring. Just don’t go overboard with the property feature notecards — aim for no more than 2-3 cards per room.

Pro tip: Handwriting can feel like a personal touch for notecards, but a typed note in a branded font will elevate the property feature cards and make it easier to catch spelling mistakes.