There’s no better feeling than seeing your open house sign-in sheet chock-full of names, phone numbers, and email addresses at the end of a weekend afternoon. Open houses are, after all, critical to most real estate agents’ lead generation strategies. They create the ideal opportunity to meet active buyers: people who are potentially selling their current homes while shopping for a new one.
If you want to walk away from your next open house with more leads than you can handle, you’re going to need the right open house sign-in sheet. We’ve got four free PDF templates that you can download, print, and use right away below.
The Case for Going Digital
Before we get into our sign-in sheet templates, and as much as we like the ol’ pen-and-paper system, hear us out. A digital open house sign-in sheet makes a whole lot of sense, and here’s why:
Imagine being able to pull together your marketing, landing pages, QR codes and digital sign-in sheets, all from one easy app. And then exporting your new leads directly to your customer relationship manager (CRM). While there are plenty of good ones out there, our pick for a digital open house sign-in platform is Curb Hero. This app offers a ton of functionality, easy sign-in for your guests from just about any device (auto-fill!), and best of all, it’s free for Realtors.
4 Open House Sign-in Sheet Templates
Whether you choose to use a paper sign-in sheet, a digital one, or some combination of the two, here are our four favorite templates to use at your next open house.
1. Basic Open House Sign-in Sheet
Great for agents who don’t need customization or info beyond a name, email, and phone number
These are simple, but their generic layout means they can be used in a wide variety of situations. Keep some extras of this open house sign-in sheet in your bag at all times for impromptu events. They can serve as a backup in case you’re unexpectedly missing your branded material.
2. Detailed Questionnaire
Great for Realtors who want to capture more information about their attendees
Remember to use this template strategically. Some open house guests are wary of sharing too much information on a publicly visible form. Others don’t want to spend the time completing a lot of fields.
3. Open House Sign-in Sheet With Feedback
Great for agents who want feedback about the property that might help in a difficult conversation with seller clients
If you’ve got a seller who’s insisting on a particular price point (against your recommendation), sometimes feedback from an open house is a great way to start a conversation about making a price improvement. It could also help convince seller clients to consider other recommendations, such as decluttering, painting, sprucing, and depersonalizing.
4. ‘Enter to Win’ Open House Sign-in Sheet Template
Great for anyone coupling an open house and with a promotional giveaway
The strategy of this approach is pretty simple: Print up a handful of these pages and cut them into individual sign-in sheets. When your guests arrive, have them sign in and drop their slip into a fishbowl.
After your event is over, call everyone! Let the winner know the happy news (and ask how you can help them with their real estate needs). Let every other attendee know about your next event and see if there are ways you can help them in the future.
Wondering what the prize should be? I love offering something from a local vendor. Rather than bake cookies for the open house myself, I’ll buy some from a favorite local bakery along with a gift certificate. While my guests enjoy the cookies, I remind them about the drawing for a gift certificate to the very bakery that made those delicious cookies. How do they enter the drawing? All they have to do is sign in.
Common Open House Sign-in Mistakes & How to Fix Them
We want to help you avoid the pit-in-your-stomach feeling at the end of an open house when you look at your list of attendees and realize there isn’t much there to work with. Here are some common issues agents encounter with open house sign-in sheets and some solutions to help you address them.
1. Your guests have illegible handwriting
Let’s face it, not all of us have beautiful penmanship. Chances are, a standard form will turn up at least a couple of illegible names.
The simple act of asking someone to sign in to your open house and then engaging them in conversation while they do so will solve many problems. Your guests will slow down and write a little more legibly since they are also talking to you at the same time. If you get someone with a doctor’s handwriting, you can immediately follow up with them to clarify their details.
2. You put your sign-in sheet in the wrong place
Don’t set the sign-in sheet in the entryway when you are camped out in the kitchen. Position your sign-in sheet next to the refreshments. Whether guests help themselves to food or drink, just about everyone is going to cruise by the kitchen, creating a perfect opportunity to invite guests to sign in.
3. You’re not starting conversations with your attendees
Your open house sign-in sheet creates an opening to start a conversation with every person who comes through the door. But it only works if you actively engage with them during the event or in a follow-up communication (or both!).
Capture one piece of information beyond the basics. Every sign-in sheet is going to ask for a name and email address. These are essential bits of information, but they only get you to the doorstep of your first conversation about real estate with that prospect—whether it’s during the open house or in your follow-up.
Gather one small fact to spark a conversation. Our favorites: “What is a must-have feature of your next home?” or “How long have you been looking for a new home?” Later on, when you’re following up, you’ll be equipped to have a meaningful conversation right out of the gate.
4. You’re not asking if the lead is already working with a Realtor
You’ll want to check with your prospective leads to see if they are already working with another real estate agent. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) Code of Ethics is pretty clear on its no-client-poaching policy. A simple yes or no on the sign-in sheet will give you a good idea of who’s eligible to enlist you as an agent.
5. You’re not hosting enough open houses
Open houses are that magical win-win-win-win opportunity. Seller clients see how hard you’re marketing their property, brokers see how much you’re hustling, neighbors see you as the go-to expert, and buyers might see you as their new agent. If you’re a new agent—or new to an area, or new to a niche like luxury real estate—you want to be hosting as many open houses as you can. It can be tempting to hand them off because they take time (and it can be exhausting to be that charming!), but every open house is a golden opportunity to build your business. Make sure you’re hosting your own, and even offer to host them for other busy agents!
6. You haven’t mastered the follow-up
You should follow up with every attendee to your open house. After all, why go to the trouble of collecting contact info if you’re not going to use it to build your business?
This takes time, but it shows off your professionalism and dedication. Whether you call, email, or text, it’s a crucial step in taking advantage of your open house. Read our article on the best open house follow-up emails and tips for writing your own!
Want More Open House Tips?
Open houses are a tried-and-true strategy because everyone wins. But, as ubiquitous as the open house is, it can be hard to master.
We have plenty of resources to help you plan and execute a monumental open house. Start with my video below, and check out our articles on scripts for open house conversations, open house apps, and even smart food to serve!
Bringing It All Together
Open houses are an essential marketing tool for your business, giving you an opportunity to showcase your listing, show off your sales skills to the neighbors and potential new listers, and—of course—meet and greet buyers. Now that you’re armed with some solid open house sign-in sheet strategies and some templates you can use this weekend—get out there and get to work!
Tell us about your most successful open house ever in the comment section! What made it stand out above the rest?
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