How To Follow Up After An Open House: A Proven Strategy For Real Estate Agents

A great open house includes great follow-up. The most successful agents know that what happens after the showing is just as important as what happens during it. Learn how to follow up by phone, text, and email in a way that builds relationships—and drives results.

Written by Seth Cox

May 21, 2025 / Open House Follow-up

Every seasoned agent knows this truth: the open house doesn’t close the deal—the follow-up does. In today’s fast-paced real estate market, buyers expect timely, personalized communication.

Without a solid open house follow-up strategy, even the most promising leads can go cold.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 64% of homebuyers visited an open house during their home search—but 79% of those leads never receive a single follow-up call (NAR, 2023).

That’s a huge missed opportunity for agents.

Additionally, research from Inman shows that speed-to-lead is critical, with leads contacted within 5 minutes being 21 times more likely to convert than those contacted after 30 minutes.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to master open house lead follow-up, automate your outreach, and convert casual visitors into active clients.

Key Elements of a High-Converting Open House Follow-Up Plan

To maximize your results, your follow-up plan should include:

Speed: Every lead must receive a personal phone call the same day as the open house.
Personalization: Use their name, the property they viewed, and any notes you captured.
Multiple Channels: Follow up by phone, text, and email to ensure your message is received. Each channel serves a unique purpose—calls build rapport, texts create immediacy, and emails provide details and links.
Consistency: Create a system you follow every time, so no lead falls through the cracks.

A study from Salesforce found that 72% of consumers only engage with marketing messages that are personalized—reinforcing the importance of targeted communication.

The Open House Follow-Up Playbook: A Step-by-Step Messaging Plan

Here’s a comprehensive playbook with timing and purpose recommendations. This system is built to help agents increase engagement, build trust, and convert leads into buyers.

Step 1: Send a Thank You Email Immediately (0–5 Minutes After Sign-In)

Automated Thank You Email from Showable
Purpose: Immediate acknowledgment and value delivery
Details: Triggered instantly by Showable upon sign-in with home details and agent contact info.

Step 2: Make a Personal Follow-Up Call (Same Day)

Personal Phone Call to Every Lead
Purpose: Establish rapport, assess interest level, and invite questions
Details: This is the most critical step. Speaking to each attendee within hours of the event dramatically increases conversion. Only after this live contact should automation sequences begin.

Step 3: Share Helpful Content via Email or Text (Day 2–4)

Purpose: Build rapport and demonstrate value
Details: Share a helpful neighborhood guide, market update, or buyer resource via email or text.

Step 4: Invite Back or Re-Engage (Day 5–7)

Purpose: Keep the relationship active
Details: Invite them to another open house, virtual tour, or check in about their home search progress via text or email.

Step 5: Long-Term Nurture (Day 10 and Beyond)

Purpose: Keep top-of-mind and segment based on intent
Details: Add the lead to your long-term CRM sequence and continue with scheduled drips across email and SMS.

Automated Open House Follow-Up with Showable

Manually following up with every open house lead is time-consuming and error-prone. That’s where Showable comes in.

Showable is the best open house sign-in app for real estate agents who want to automate follow-up and capture more leads. With Showable:

Each visitor who signs in receives an instant thank-you email with property info.
Connect Showable to thousands of apps via Zapier for CRM syncing and text automation.
Showable captures phone numbers, email addresses, and names at the sign-in stage, enabling seamless follow-up across all three major channels: phone, text, and email. This multi-channel approach is key to increasing response rates and closing more deals.

According to SMS comparison research by Campaign Monitor, text messages have an open rate of 98%, compared to just 20–30% for email—emphasizing the value of using multiple channels.

Whether you’re a solo agent or managing a team, Showable helps you streamline your open house follow-up process and close more deals.

Common Mistakes in Open House Lead Follow-Up

Waiting too long: The longer you wait, the colder the lead.
Skipping the phone call: Texts and emails are not enough—voice builds trust.
Sending generic messages: Personalized notes build stronger relationships.
Not tracking lead responses: Without tracking, you risk duplicate messages or losing promising leads.
Failing to segment: One-size-fits-all messages won’t resonate. Segment by buyer interest, timeline, and home preferences.

Advanced Open House Lead Conversion Strategies for Agents

Send a video message using tools like BombBomb to create a memorable impression.
Share a neighborhood guide to position yourself as the local expert.
Highlight success stories from past buyers who found homes through your open houses.
Use retargeting ads to stay top of mind after the visit.

Final Thoughts: Why Open House Follow-Up Is Critical for Real Estate Success

Open houses are just the beginning. The agents who win are the ones who follow up fast, follow up smart, and follow up consistently.

With a clear strategy and tools like Showable to automate the process and connect your CRM, you can turn every open house into a growth opportunity. Start today, and make sure your next open house doesn’t just bring traffic—it brings clients.