Design an open house sign-in sheet that you can actually use afterwards
Which few fields to put on a sign-in sheet, what to leave off, and how to turn the sheet into a short count you can share with the seller without sharing names.
A sign-in sheet is only useful if you can read it afterwards and act on it. Decide before the day which few things you want to know.
This note describes a method, not results.
Keep the sheet short
Four fields are a workable start:
- name
- a phone number or email address, whichever the visitor prefers
- whether they are already working with an agent: yes or no
- how they heard about the open house, in a few words
Treat each extra field as a cost: it may slow the line at the door. If you want to know more, ask in conversation and write one line yourself afterwards.
Say what the details are for
Put one plain sentence at the top of the sheet: what you will use the details for and who will see them. Make it match what you will actually do. Before you send anything, check what your brokerage and your state allow, and ask your broker if you are unsure.
Make the count the main output
After the day, count four things: visitors who signed in, visitors who said they already have an agent, visitors who came from each source, and visitors you followed up with. Write the four numbers on the listing file with the date.
Share counts with the seller, not names
A seller report can say how many parties came through and how they heard about it. The names stay in your own systems. This also keeps the report short enough to read.
Handle the sheet carefully
A paper sheet on a table shows the previous visitors' details to the next person. Use a clipboard with one visitor per page, or a tablet that clears after each entry, and store the finished sheet where your brokerage says to.
Follow up from the sheet, not from memory
Write the follow-up date next to each row before you leave. A sheet with no next step becomes a list nobody opens.
Email sign-up is not available yet; new notes appear on this site and in its feed.