Open House Sign-in Sheets Savvy Agents Are Leveraging To Get More Leads

Open houses are more than just a chance to show off a property – they’re one of the best opportunities agents have to meet new buyers face-to-face and build their pipeline. To do that, you need a way to quickly and easily capture guest information. Without it, even a busy open house can leave you empty-handed.

This is where a strong open house sign-in sheet strategy comes in. Whether you use a clipboard, a QR code or a digital form, collecting accurate contact info is the key to turning open house traffic into real leads. We’ll walk you through why open house sign-in sheets matter, what to include and how to follow up in a way that keeps you top-of-mind long after the event ends.

If you’re ready to capture more leads at your next open house, download our free open house sign-in sheet templates to get started.

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Why an open house sign-in sheet is important

An open house sign-in sheet might seem like a no-brainer, but it plays a huge role in the success of your open house – and as an agent. It helps you capture contact information of every guest that visits your open house so that you’re able to follow up afterwards. Think about it – without an open house sign-in sheet, how are you going to make contact with your guest to get their feedback about the property?

Open house sign-in sheets also help you identify who’s actually walking through the door. Are they serious buyers? Curious neighbors? Prospective sellers? Knowing who attended allows you to tailor your follow-up and prioritize the most promising leads. Beyond lead generation, these logs give you a way to demonstrate your value to sellers. Open house sign-in sheets provide a documented record of the interest generated in the property, which will help support future conversations with the seller about pricing and marketing strategies going forward.

Whether you use a clipboard with pen and paper or an open house app, a sign-in sheet is your first step toward turning a casual visitor into a closed deal.

What to include on an open house sign-in sheet

Your open house sign-in sheet shouldn’t be complicated for guests to fill out, but it should gather enough information for you to follow up effectively. It’s all about balance – collect just enough information so that it’s useful for you, but not too detailed that it detours potential buyers from filling it out. Let’s start with the basics.

Must-have information: 

• Full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Question: Are you currently working with an agent?
• Buying time frame

This set of information is quick and to the point. It tells you who they are, how to contact them, if they already have representation and how quickly they are looking to purchase. It gives you just enough background to follow up with them in a way that will feel personal and helpful.

Nice-to-have information:

• Pre-approval status
• Price range
• Property type (i.e. single-family home, townhouse, condo etc.)
• Question: How did you hear about the open house?
• Comments

Pro Tip

If you are looking to obtain more than just the must-have information, consider using a digital open house sign-in app. You can include dropdowns or multiple-choice options to make it even easier for your guests to complete.

Types of open house sign-in sheets (+ tools)

With so many open house sign-in options available, choosing the right one for your open house can feel overwhelming. There is no one-size-fits-all answer and the best method will come down to what style fits you and your business. The right solution should not only streamline the sign-in process but also make it easier to follow up with your leads after the open house.

Traditional paper sign-in sheets

If you’re a new agent on a budget and you’re just not sure where to start, traditional paper sign-in sheets are still a reliable way to gather contact information. You can create your own or download our free templates to use as your own. Just print and go, but make sure to have plenty of pens available for your guests to use.

Digital sign-in sheets

A digital sign-in sheet is an upgrade from a traditional pen-and-paper sign-in sheet. Use a form-fillable PDF or a spreadsheet template. Have your digital sign-in sheet open on your tablet so that guests can easily enter their contact information directly into a digital form. An advantage of digital is that you can sync or upload all your new leads into your CRM.

Open house sign-in sheet (Source: Canva)

If you want to design an open house sign-in sheet on your own, but don’t think you have any design skills – Canva is a great option. Create a custom design or use one of their pre-designed templates to jumpstart your project. In just minutes, you’ll have a branded form that can be downloaded as a PDF for easy printing. It’s an easy way to make your open house feel more professional.

Visit Canva

QR code sign-in sheets

QR codes are becoming increasingly popular for a tech-friendly and contactless sign-in process. Place the QR code at the entrance or anywhere throughout the house so guests can scan it with their phones as they view the property. Users are directed to a digital sign-in sheet that is quick and easy to complete.

Pro Tip

You can generate a free QR code online in seconds! All you need to do is Google “free QR code generator”, then copy and paste it into your digital sign-in form or print it out for display at your open house.

Open house sign-in apps

Open house sign-in apps simplify the sign-in process and automatically integrate with popular CRM tools. They allow you to capture contact details in real-time, track visitors’ interests and even automate follow-ups.

There are several real estate apps designed specifically for open houses. If you’re looking to improve your open house sign-in game and leverage the latest tech, check out these apps:

• Curb Hero
• Spacio
• Open Home Pro
• Happy Open House

Digital open house sign-in app (Source: Curb Hero)

One of my personal favorite open house sign-in apps is Curb Hero. It’s easy to use and has been created specifically with real estate agents in mind. It lets your guests sign in on a tablet or by using a QR code, as it automatically captures their contact information. What I love most about Curb Hero is how it allows you to send branded messages right from the app, and it connects with many popular CRMs, which makes follow-up a breeze.

Visit Curb Hero

Landing page sign-in

A dedicated landing page for sign-ins provides a branded, customizable way to collect guest information. Create a simple sign-in form on your website and encourage visitors to sign in from their own devices. This approach is especially effective if you want to drive traffic to your website, where visitors can also explore other listings and resources.

Website design with a built-in CRM (Source: Real Geeks)

If you don’t have a website or landing page yet and are serious about staying connected with your open house leads, take a look at Real Geeks. Not only can you create landing pages to digitally collect all your open house sign-ins, but they also feature a built-in CRM, which makes it easy to organize your contacts all in one place. The Real Geeks CRM automates follow-ups and sends personalized drip campaigns to your leads.

What’s even better – Curb Hero integrates with Real Geeks, so you can collect leads at the open house and have them flow right into your CRM. With these two powerhouses, you’ll keep your follow-up game strong and your business growing.

Visit Real Geeks

Sign in by text

Signing in by text is an innovative and user-friendly way to collect contact information that may universally appeal to more users. The guest texts a keyword to receive a link to a sign-in form. This convenient approach makes follow-up easy since you’ll already have their phone number from texting them the link.

Text code or QR code registration (Source: Open House Wizard)

If you’re looking for a text-based sign-in for your open house, Open House Wizard offers a solution that’s perfect for today’s tech-savvy buyers. Guests simply text a keyword to a designated number, receiving a link to complete their sign-in right from their phones. It’s quick, seamless and instantly captures contact information, making follow-up a breeze.

Visit Open House Wizard

Tips to get visitors to actually sign in at your open house

A sign-in sheet is more than just a log of who attended your open house. It should be used as a tool to capture leads and turn those guests into potential clients. Whether they purchase your listing or not, they could still use you as their agent to purchase another home.

Make sure you are getting the most out of your open house sign-in sheets by having an effective strategy that encourages your guests to provide you with complete and accurate contact information. Here are a few tips to get you started.

• Personal greetings: Start by greeting each guest personally and inviting them to sign in as part of your open house experience.
• Offer an incentive: Make it worthwhile for visitors to sign in by offering a small incentive, such as a downloadable guide, fresh-baked cookies or entry into a raffle for a local business’ gift card.
• Know your audience: Tech-savvy clients will appreciate a digital option, while others may be more comfortable with traditional paper methods.
• Make it easy: Your sign-in sheet is only as good as the information you collect, so make sure it’s easy to use and has the contact information you need to stay in touch.
• Be transparent: Let your guests know exactly how you intend to use their information, and they’ll be less likely to resist signing in.

Pro Tip

Take a minute to jot down any observations about where each lead might be in their buying journey. These notes will be a valuable resource in personalizing your follow-ups and providing the right support to move them forward.

What to do with your open house sign-in sheet after the event

Getting people to sign in at your open house is only the first step. What you do after is what will really make an impact on your guests – and your business. Having an effective follow-up plan will determine if your guests will turn into serious clients or become just another cold lead. Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.

• Follow up quickly: Don’t wait too long to follow up once you have a guest’s contact information. You want to send them a quick thank-you email with details about the property or similar listings, typically within 24 hours of the open house.
• Add guests to your CRM: Be sure to import every lead into your CRM right away. This keeps you organized and ensures no one slips through the cracks.
• Filter through your leads: Not every visitor is going to be ready to buy. Sort your contacts by readiness, whether they have an agent and what their buying timeline is, so you can focus on hot leads first.
• Nurture for the long-term: For the leads who aren’t ready just yet, put them on a drip campaign that sends market insights and highlights new listings over time.
• Loop in your seller: Share a quick summary of the open house with your seller, including how many people attended, who seemed interested and any feedback you received.

Open house sign-in sheets: FAQs

Do I really need a sign-in sheet for an open house?

Yes, sign-in sheets help you collect contact information for your guests. Not only does it keep a record of who was in the home for the seller, but it also provides the agent with a list of potential buyers to follow up with after the open house. Agents can also use this information to have conversations with the seller about the interest in the home and whether or not pricing needs to be adjusted.

Should I use a paper or digital sign-in sheet?

This is really an agent preference, but there are advantages to using digital sign-in sheets or open house apps. While paper and pen sign-in sheets are simple and reliable, digital sign-in options allow the agent to automate lead generation efforts by uploading contacts into an existing CRM and utilizing automated follow-up. If you’re concerned your target audience may not be tech-savvy, consider using both methods.

What should I say to encourage people to sign in?

Keep it simple, but it may be wise to develop a script you use when greeting guests at your own house. You can try statements like “Hi, welcome to XYZ property, the seller has asked that all guests sign in so that we can track the interest in the home.” If you want to take it one step further, you can also disclose how you’ll use the information, and that they may receive communications from you in the future. This will help build trust and encourage participation.

The full picture: Open house sign-in sheets

As an agent, building meaningful relationships is the key to turning open-house guests into actual clients. As guests arrive, be sure to create a welcoming atmosphere. Whether you’re using traditional pen and paper, digital apps, QR codes or text sign-in methods, be sure to keep the process simple.

After the open house, send a quick thank-you message within 24 hours to show your appreciation for attending your event. Keep your leads engaged by using a CRM to help you stay organized while taking advantage of automated follow-ups. Remember, a successful open house strategy doesn’t end at sign-in. This is just the beginning. Every connection you make builds your pipeline and positions you as their trusted real estate expert.

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