Hail Mary Effort Proves Worthy of This REALTOR’S® Strategic Open House Move

In real estate, you win some, you lose some. Yet for this REALTOR® from Florida, losing one turned into a trifecta of wins. All because of a very unusual set of circumstances at a very popular open house.

As every real estate agent knows, open houses can be feast or famine. On this particular day, Gregg Center, a REALTOR® with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Sarasota, FL, lucked out. His luxury property listing had quite the appeal for a number of discreet buyers.

“I was somewhat surprised when six different couples entered the property at once,” said Gregg. “It was a blessing and a curse because, obviously, I wanted to engage all of them equally.”

With questions about the property looming and little time to waste, Gregg turned to the app he traditionally relies on in similar circumstances. This time he wasn’t so lucky. “I tried to engage each of my open house visitors by relying on data from my real estate app,” he said. “But its unresponsiveness frustrated them. I felt frustrated as well. High-end buyers have high expectations, and my ‘go-to’ app didn’t perform when they wanted more information.”

What makes Gregg a good agent? He’s quick on his feet. “Right then and there, I remembered that I had downloaded the RPR app about three days prior to my open house and played around with it for about 30 seconds, with no real strategy in mind. I’m new to RPR so had honestly forgotten about it. But I had to do something and followed my instincts.”

Within seconds of the last couple leaving, Gregg pulls up RPR on his phone and heads off his prospects at the door. He moves the conversation forward:

Gregg: “Thanks for stopping by. Do you have any questions about the property?”
Visitors: “We’ll contact you if we do.”
Gregg: “Is this the only house you’re looking at or are you interested in this general area of town?”
Visitors: “The area.”
Gregg: “If I said I know of other homes in the area and could show you them right now, with photos and facts, would you allow me to help you?”
Editor’s Note: Gregg begins praying, “please work, please work” as he pulls up the RPR app.
Visitors: “Yes”

To Gregg’s astonishment, RPR’s app returns search results within seconds, instantly displaying every home for sale within a half mile radius of where they are standing … including, of all places, a listing right across the street.

“I couldn’t believe I missed the house across the street,” remarks Gregg. The sign was poorly placed and I didn’t see it on my MLS. But there it was, right there on RPR.”

He continues with his soon-to-be client. “There’s a place across the street. No open house scheduled but I can set up a tour for tomorrow if you like. And here’s everything you’d want to know about the property,” as he shows them his phone.

Less than 24 hours later, Gregg’s new clients make a $2.1 million offer on the house across the street.

But here’s where it gets even better.

“We win some, we lose some,” said Gregg. Turns out the buyer and seller could not agree on the seller’s contingencies. “Yet, my client was so impressed by my ability to instantly respond to their needs that they decided to sign on with me to purchase another home, including selling their current home AND four parcels of waterfront property they want to list.”

One might say, Gregg had a good day.

Today, Gregg touts RPR as one of his most essential business tools. “I use the app in every single sales opportunity, especially on buyer tours,” he said. “It shows that I have market information readily available and never have to say ‘let me get back to the office/computer and put together some information for you.’ I can do it with the app when they walk into the kitchen and have it finished and sent to their email before they have moved to the dining room. It essentially does everything for me.”

“Well, not everything,” he adds. “I’m waiting for the app to make all my appointments for me. I’m sure RPR is working on that.”