Open House Marketing Checklist: Flyers, Brochures, QR Codes & Follow-Up
An open house marketing checklist covers four things: getting people there, what they find when they arrive, what they take away, and what you do afterwards. Flyers, a sign-in method and a QR code on the take-away are what turn attendance into contacts.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| A week before | Portals updated, flyers printed, signage arranged, neighbours told |
| The day before | Route walked, QR code tested on paper, lighting checked |
| On the day | Flyers at the entrance, a ten-second sign-in, notes on who lingered where |
| Within 24 hours | Brochure PDF emailed to everyone who signed in, seller report sent |
| That week | Repeated questions fixed in the listing copy, second date decided |
The week before
- Confirm the date and hours with the seller, in writing.
- Post the open house on the portals — many have a dedicated field, and it is often missed.
- Order or print the flyers. More than you expect to need; running out is the expensive mistake.
- Arrange directional signage and check where it is permitted.
- Tell the neighbours. They attend, and they talk to buyers.
- Schedule the social posts — one a few days before, one the morning of.
The day before
- Walk the route a visitor will take and fix what is in the way.
- Test the QR code on the printed flyer, on mobile data rather than the property's wifi.
- Charge whatever you are using to collect details.
- Check the lighting in every room you want seen, at the hour of the event.
- Agree with the seller where valuables and medication are stored.
What should visitors take away?
One sheet, and it should answer the questions they will have that evening when the house has blurred into the other three they saw.
- Cover photograph and the address
- Price, beds, baths, floor area, lot size, year built
- Six to ten concrete features
- Your name, photograph and contact details
- A QR code to the listing, labelled
- The next open house date, if there is one
A flyer is the right format here — cheap enough to hand to everyone. See flyer vs brochure for why, and what to include for the full field list.
On the day
- Arrive early enough to open windows and turn on every light.
- Signage out, including the one at the junction people actually turn at.
- Flyers at the entrance, not held back for people who seem serious.
- A sign-in method that takes ten seconds. Anything longer gets refused.
- Know the answers to the three questions you will be asked most: why are they selling, what are the running costs, what has been replaced recently.
- Note who lingered where. It is the most useful thing you will learn.
How should you collect visitor details?
Briefly, and with a reason. Name and one contact method is enough; a form asking for budget and mortgage status at the door gets fewer answers and worse ones.
Say what you will use it for and honour it — and be aware that collecting contact details brings data-protection obligations that differ by jurisdiction. Check the rules that apply to you rather than copying another agent's form.
Afterwards — within 24 hours
This is the whole point of the event, and it is where open houses are usually abandoned.
- Email everyone who signed in, the same day or the next, with the brochure PDF attached.
- Make it specific: reference the house, not "the property you viewed".
- Pass the seller a report — numbers attended, questions asked, any feedback on price.
- Note the questions that came up more than once and fix them in the listing copy.
- Decide on a second open house while the interest is still warm.
- Collect the signage. All of it.
What is worth measuring?
Four numbers, recorded the same way each time, are enough to tell you whether an open house was worth holding: visitors through the door, details collected, QR scans from the flyer, and follow-up replies. Tracked across several events they show which promotion actually brought people, which is not always the one that felt busiest.
The listing marketing checklist covers the wider campaign this sits inside.
Common questions
- What do I need for an open house?
- Flyers, directional signage, a quick sign-in method, and a follow-up plan before you start. The first three are routinely prepared and the fourth routinely is not.
- How many flyers should I print for an open house?
- More than you expect to need. They are the cheapest item in the whole exercise, and running out costs you the conversations you came for.
- Should I use a flyer or a brochure at an open house?
- A flyer for everyone who walks through, because most copies will not be kept. Keep a brochure for the people who come back a second time.
- How do I get more people to an open house?
- Post it in the portals' dedicated open house field, tell your own list first, put signage where people actually turn rather than only at the property, and tell the neighbours.
- What should I send after an open house?
- The brochure PDF, the same day, referencing the specific house. The material already exists, which is what makes not sending it the easiest mistake to avoid.
- Is a sign-in sheet worth it?
- Only if it is short and you follow up. Name and one contact method, collected in ten seconds, used within a day. A long form collected and never used is worse than nothing, because it also costs you goodwill at the door.