Inman

Are you an Open Home Pro?

Takeaways:

After using this application for quite some time now in my business, I wanted to share it with you all: Open Home Pro. It’s a digital alternative to paper sign-in sheets that helps enhance the overall experience of visitors to your open houses.

Display beautiful listing photos (via slideshow), ask an array of customized questions tailored to your marketplace, and stay top of mind by automatically sending thank-you messages with any additional information you want to provide to the visitors who came through.

To date, this is the most expensive app I’ve purchased ever at $19.99. Ironically enough, since being acquired by “HomeFinder.com LLC,” it seems to have switched to a “Freemium” strategy, meaning you can download the application for free and then pay to upgrade later on.

It makes perfect sense as other lesser-known players have entered into this niche market, making it crucial to stay competitive with the pricing strategies.

In reading the ratings from iOS to Android, it is interesting to see the mixed reviews. Using it on my iPad, it is a breeze, and the ratings reflect that. (If you search for an “open house” app on the iTunes store, it is No. 1.)

However it seems to be an entirely different story on the Android side. Complaints of the application crashing, faulty features and lag time seem to be the most prevalent. It could have something to do with the ever-changing Android operating system, or it could simply just be a need to commit more time addressing and fixing these issues on the company’s side.

In the few years that I’ve had Open Home Pro, I’ve seen its features transition through additions and subtractions. Many of us have heard the term: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, imagine what a video is worth.

I absolutely love the slideshow feature available, and I think it’s one of the main reasons my customers are drawn in. However, video is becoming more prevalent than ever, and having the option to switch from a slideshow to a listing video playing in the background (if you have one) would be an amazing alternative Pro feature.

Of course, there are other features I believe this application would benefit from having, but currently the bang for your buck in Open Home Pro is well-balanced and worth the investment.

Overall, whether you are a paperless agent or interested in making some efficient changes to your business, Open Home Pro is a powerful tool that not only works with you but for you as well.

It never gets old observing visitors interacting with this application and seeing how much they’ve enjoyed the entire experience. Don’t just be an open home, be an Open Home Pro.

Anthony West is a real estate agent, the founder of The Luxury Life KC at Moffitt Realty, and an entrepreneur in Kansas City.

Email Anthony West.