Broker's Opens are still happening here in Northeast OH-Tuesdays between 11:30 and 2:30-We go out as a group after our weekly meeting-good way to get free lunch, and see what is available in the area-The attendance varies due to location.

The Brokers open house is still a custom on Long Islands North Shore (lunch provided or raffle).  I check to see when the competing homes are scheduled and try to do it the same day. Most of the opens appear on Thursdays (when most offices have sales meetings) Check around to see what other offices are doing. I know today it's especially hard with gas costing $3.00 a gal in my area.  Good Luck!      

I found it is a reciprocal gesture.  I go to yours you come to mine type of thing. If I have no clients for the property I still drop by to support the agent holding the open house.  Here it is usually done 10-2 and Wed. & Thurs. are more popular.  See some friends grab some barbecue and preview a nice house. Great way to keep on top of inventory.  

Realtor, Columbus Ga

Broker's Open House was costing me and my vendors too much money and time. Same agents would show up. And sometimes we were competing for the same people. I would pay for lunch for a raffle drawing or got a vendor to do so. Here is what I did in my area: I found a neutral area (Title Company) that paid for some of my open house events. I begged several agents/friends from other agencies to join me. We then had the Title Company provide a Continal Breakfast at their conference room and gave several vendors the opportunity to meet with us after the joint agency caravan of homes. The vendors (mortgage co., home inspectors, lawyers, stagers, etc.)are happy to meet us and give a $25 gift certificate to the drawing we hold. At the end of the caravan (about 10 homes) we go back to the Title Company, listen to the vendors ( about 30 minutes for three vendors), and have a drawing for the next caravan and a separate drawing giving away the gift certificates. It is a nice time for us to get together and see the inventory. Takes one morning once a month. It makes the home owner happy to see all the business cards (between 20 and 30 agents show up) and it give both the agent and the home owner feed back on the listing. A lot of houses have been reduced in price, sold and cleaned up - not in that order!

Tuesdays 11:00-1:00...knew you were a fellow Chicagoan.  I retired the ritual.  Never had a broker sell one of my listings as a result, though never had many brokers attend either.  I could spend those two hours prospecting or eating bon bons.

To me, it's more of a ritual for the seller and I think I found the ammunition to overcome.  Tried something new just a few weeks back.  I'm sure you often receive the random elistings@iannexflyer.net in our area.  Yes most of the time they are deleted, but even I glance through the catchy subjects.  Anyway, for $40 I was able to deliver my e-flyer to I believe 39,000+ agents in the MLSNI (non-Chicagoans: MLS of Northern Illinois).  Four responses, all agents looking for themselves.  Now have one contract pending.  

I found the $40 investment was a lot cheaper and less time consuming than the broker's open.  And an acceptable contract...isn't that the ultimate goal?

Pollock Pines, CA is a unique community. We caravan every Thursday for our broker tour. We start with a meeting at 8:30am. The tour director (me this year) sets an order that makes sense to drive and then we head out. The nice thing about this is that if you have a home on tour, you can see the other homes as well. Lately we're done within 2 hours as there have not been more than 10 listings each week. It's great because most local agents that are productive participate and we get to stay on top of the inventory. The surrounding areas in our county also tour, but they do not caravan (too many listings). They hold their homes open from 9:00 - 1:00 on Wed or Thurs depending upon the area. We start with a meeting at 8:30 where each home is pitched - many agents provide snacks or drawings for incentive when there are a lot of homes to see. I'm surprised to hear that not all MLS areas do this sort of Broker home tour. I find it a very valuable part of my job.

Janet Gaut

Brokers Open?  Toledo Ohio?  NO WAY.  

Even with refreshments offered, All you do is waste food.  

Nobody comes.  Not even to nice homes.  Not here.

I don't do food anymore. I try to hold a broker's open once for each new listing as long as it is in an area where it makes sense. There are some communities in the Northern suburbs of Chicago that still do a lot of touring. What I've started doing lately is simply have the listings ready to show on the tour dates and either put in the description to use the supra to preview it or to give me a call to the the combo. I don't have to waste my time and they can preview it any week they want.

Brian, looks good.  See...I did click through!  Great subject line. Hope you're $40 is more effective.

We do Broker's Open here in Hudson, WI. Good turn out about 30-40 agents. We break it up to north/south side of a major road to determine area...most brokerages participate...smaller town.

Here in Boca Raton, South Florida, Broker's Open are still going on strong. Several agents with beautiful properties on the beach offer lavish catered lunches and if possible we go for the lunch and chit chat with the other agents.

As mentioned earlier, it is for the sellers. If we let the sellers know that 80 to 99% chance that their house will be sold through another agent, we must show them that we are doing activities to attract them.

It is just a way to mingle with other realtors.

P.S. The ones that don't offer lunch or drawing are avoided!!!!!!!!