Maria you might try personal invitations, serve food of whatever.  I am not sure why, but print ads don't seem to be bringing them in.  I am not sure how big the complex is or what their HOA rules are, but if door knocking is allowed then handing out personal invites sometimes do work.  You might say "Hi I have # such & such listed and would like to invite you to our open house.  You know how lovely it is to live in this complex do you have any family or friends who might be interested?  Please let them know about the Open House also.  I will be having a drawing for a free gas card..."  You might even run into someone else in the complex or the neighborhood who is interested in selling.  Good luck with your open house.

Jana

Here is a funny story for you. I took a listing 10 days ago from a client that has used me many many times both for finding investment properties as well as his own homes. Well he said he wanted open house signs because he was gonna be at the house doing some work so he wanted to do an open house. Of course I said okay. Well I got a call about 3 hrs into HIS open house and low and behold he had a buyer. I went over this morning and wrote up the contract and will be paid 3% commission. Not bad for 10 days of basically doing nothing. The buyer has a 750 credit score and already has talked to a lender, we should close in 15 days.

So maybe try talking to your sellers and see if they wanna have an open house and if they find the buyer cut them a deal on the commission.

Todd Rivers - Broker/Owner

Tropic Shores Realty

What time are you holding the open house?  I agree with Jana - knock on 100 doors in the neighborhood and personally invite them.  Tell them you'll be serving refreshments and would like to know if they would come so you would have plenty of food!  

If allowed, I put up a 30" x 6' canvass banner across the staircase leading to the front of the house - BIG!

Then I put the information on the MLS listing on Tuesday before Sunday's open house as well as in the Open House Tour section of the MLS.

Blog about the open house.

Post the information to Craigslist.

Put your signs out first thing in the morning around 8:00 a.m. - if permitted by law.  Don't wait until one hour or 30 minutes before the open house.

Think about these things.  If we handled our wedding plans the way we do open houses, how many guests would really show up?  

And for the agents that sell in the area - tell them if they are busy, to send their clients by and you'll honor the relationship.'

My open house signs say "home tour" with Lunch on Us! ......

Financing .... are you in a zip code that has target financing?  With or without income limitations?

Maria,

Here is what I did in a similar situation several years ago.

The way to draw people in is to target the right niche market and offer them something in return for participating as long as they pre-qualify. What I did was to make inexpensive flyers targeted to wedding invitation guests and to the Broom and Bride. Where would I find these people?

At all the formal wedding retail stores specializing in Weddings, there were 6 of them in the City. So what I did was to dress in a Tuxedo and stand near the parking lot discreetly to one side of the front of the Retail Establishment and close to my late model European Sports Car and hand them a Flyer-(after a brief introduction).

In this Flyer there was one offer they could not refuse. For every guest over the age of 25 that would show up at the Open House, I would donate to the Bride of their Weeding Event an envelope with $50 compliments of the Guest that showed up at the Open House.

They would have to call me first, pre-qualify thru my Mort. Broker and then go to the Open House and sign in to get the donation to their favorite Weeding Event.One of the guest told me the name of the Groom and Bride and their contact number.

I know this sounds too elaborate Maria, but think about the psychology behind this method. Out of this effort came only four couples that were Pre-Qualified and one of them placed an Offer to Buy. The Groom and Bride also came to my Open House and I was invited to their wedding.

Outside the Open House there was a friend of my that likes to cook barbecue, and he made an elaborate sophisticated and very good smelling high smoke that went thru the neighborhood and attracted several homeowners and their guest. Free Hot dogs, burgers, and cold icy water with several  Kobat Beef and Chicken Sticks on the grill (sold for one dollar each).The smell was so good that people passing by would slow down to look at the House.This friend happens to be a Weight Lifting and Proffessional Model, with very good physique.

The other two offers came from my 2,000 Invitations sent out by Email to my Database of Prospective Buyers and Rental Tenants. These Database was collected and Incubated from my prospecting efforts from other Open Houses, Door-to-Door and Website Leads. Out of those Invitations came only 20 people and one Offer.

I like Todd's idea, too. But maybe you should try the Open House at different hours than the other Open Houses say if all open houses are 1-3 maybe you should try 11-2. If everyone holds open houses at the same time the buyers can't view them all if they wanted too.

But as long as you can trust the seller, let them do their own, then they can have it Open ALL DAY they're, there anyway.

Al - Is that a true story?  It is elaborate but I gotta give you 10 points for originality!  Great story and some good ideas there!  

I have to say that Jana's idea of the gas card (or a Target card, or Home Improvent card) did work for me as well.  My traffic increased (okay from 0 -5) but it was still an increase!!!!  

As Barb mentioned - really advertise!! MLS, your website, local community papers, is there an HOA that would allow you to advertise in there email or newsletter to residents?, what about finding out about garage sales in the neighborhood on the same day?  I have done that before and I advertise in tandem with the homes doing garage sales.  They refer people to me and I to them.  You will have a very early in the morning open house but it works (for me).

Good luck!