Text Marketing for Open Houses: A Guide to Real Estate SMS Success

How to Get More Open House Viewers with Real Estate SMS Marketing

Your last open house had six visitors. Two were nosy neighbors. One was lost and looking for a different address. Only three were actual buyers. That's a lot of effort for three real leads.

Across town, another agent pulls in 20 to 30 serious buyers every showing. Same market. Similar listings. Totally different outcome.

What changed? She stopped relying on Facebook posts and email blasts and switched to text marketing for open houses. And it’s about time you did too.

Wondering how? Well, Easify makes real estate SMS marketing super simple!

This guide is for U.S. real estate agents, brokers, and property managers ready to drop the old playbook. If you want open houses full of qualified buyers (and less stress) you’re in the right place.

The Problem with Real Estate Open House Sign-In Sheets

Let’s talk about that clipboard.

The one sitting on your entry table, pen half out of ink. You’ve used it at every open house because that’s what everyone does.

But here’s what’s really happening with those sign-in sheets.

They Feel Like Distracting Paperwork

A couple walks in, excited and imagining their new home. This is your moment to connect and see if they’re serious buyers.

Instead, you hand them a clipboard. The energy drops. It suddenly feels like paperwork, not a dream home tour. Casual visitors? They’ll scribble a fake name and move on.

They Take Attention Away from Sales Conversations

You’re talking about the new kitchen when another group enters. Do you keep chatting or stop to hand them the clipboard?

Either way, someone gets less of your attention. Physical sign-in sheets make you choose between gathering info and building relationships.

You can't be in two places at once, and that clipboard isn't going to introduce itself.

They Create More Manual Work Later

The open house ends, and you’re drained. Now comes the tedious part: decoding messy handwriting, typing names into your CRM, and sending manual follow-ups.

By the time you’re done, your leads have already gone cold.

Text Messaging Can Replace Your Open House Sign-In Sheets

Imagine this instead: visitors walk in, pull out their phones, and text a simple keyword to your number. Done. They're instantly added to your system.

Real estate SMS marketing makes open house sign-ins quick and effortless. Visitors text in, their info is saved automatically, and they get an instant reply with property details.

With Easify auto-reply and lead capture features, this happens on autopilot. Set it up once, and every visitor who texts your keyword gets added to your contact list. You can even customize the automatic response to include photos, virtual tour links, or an Easify Bookings link to schedule a meeting!

Worried about compliance? Don’t be. Easify takes care of all 10DLC requirements.

The best part? You get to stay focused on what matters: talking to buyers, answering questions, and closing deals. Easify handles the rest.

How to Use Text Messaging for Your Open House Sign-In Process

Setting up SMS sign-ins is actually simpler than creating a Facebook event. Here's exactly how to do it.

1. Create a Sign-In Keyword (e.g., "TEXT OPENHOUSE TO 800-123-4567")

Your keyword is your digital clipboard. Pick something relevant to your listing.

For a luxury condo, you might use "TEXT LUXECONDO TO your number." For a family home in Oak Street, try "TEXT OAKST TO your number."

Keep it short. Easy to spell. Impossible to mess up.

In Easify, setting this up takes less than a minute. Choose your keyword, link it to your business number, and you’re good to go.

Bonus tip: Display this keyword on a simple sign at your entrance, on your flyers, and in your social media posts.

2. Write an Automatic Follow-Up Message (thank them, share listing details, etc.)

The moment someone texts your keyword, they should get an instant response.

Your message could say: “Hi Sarah! Thanks for visiting 123 Oak Street. Here’s the listing link: URL. Want to schedule a private showing? Reply YES and I’ll send you my calendar. Reply STOP to opt out.”

This one text confirms they’re added, gives them key details, and keeps the conversation going. With Easify, you can easily customize this for each property.

3. Decide What Info You Want from Visitors (email, preferences, price range)

You can ask follow-up questions to qualify leads right away.

After your initial auto-reply, send a second message:

Or something like:

You're gathering qualification data without handing anyone a form. People are already texting, so they’re far more likely to respond.

4. Connect Your Real Estate CRM (so leads flow automatically)

Here’s where Easify really delivers. Every lead from your open house flows straight into your CRM.

Someone texts your keyword? They're added to the system.

You can tag them by property, date, or interest level.

Set up automatic follow-up sequences.

Track which messages get responses, and which get ignored.

Why Use SMS Marketing for Open Houses?

Still not convinced text marketing for open houses beats your current system? Let's look at the numbers.

1. High Open Rates

Email open rates in real estate are around 20-25% on a good day. Your Facebook post reaches maybe 5% of your followers because of algorithm changes.

Text messages have a 98% open rate, and 90% are read within three minutes.

Think about your own habits. When your phone buzzes, you look. When an email comes in, you might ignore it or check later. Your buyers are the same. If you want your open house invite to actually be seen, SMS is the clear winner.

2. Speed Unlike Other Channels

You're hosting an open house tomorrow and it's looking light on RSVPs. What do you do?

Email reminders might sit unopened. Social posts might not get seen.

A text message, though, is delivered in seconds, and read in minutes. You’ll start getting replies before you finish your coffee.

With real estate SMS marketing, everything moves in real time. Send last-minute invites, share directions, or update visitors if you’re running late. It all happens instantly.

3. Real Engagement

The biggest difference with SMS? It’s not just marketing. It’s a conversation.

When someone texts you, you can respond right away and keep the conversation going while interest is high.

These quick, personal exchanges build trust faster than any other channel, and Easify’s two-way texting makes it effortless.

5 Proven Strategies to Drive Open House Attendance with SMS

You've got the tools. Now let's talk strategy. These five approaches consistently fill open houses with qualified buyers.

1. Build a Targeted SMS List

Start with the contacts you already have. Pull leads from past showings, recent open houses, and inquiries about nearby listings.

Then, ask for permission before adding them to your list.

In Easify, you can segment contacts easily. That means people only get messages relevant to what they’re looking for, making your outreach feel personal, not pushy.

Bonus tip: targeted beats mass messaging every time.

2. Send Clear, Compelling Invitations

Bad text invite: "Open house Sunday."

Good text invite:

Always include the address, time, and one selling point that grabs attention. Then add a link for photos and details.

Bonus tip: people want to know what makes this home worth their weekend. Show them.

3. Use SMS Reminders

The biggest reason people skip open houses? They forget.

Send a reminder the day before: “Hi Sarah! Reminder: Open house tomorrow at 123 Oak Street, 1–4 PM. Can’t make it? Reply PRIVATE to book a showing that fits your schedule. Reply STOP to opt out.”

This simple text keeps your event top-of-mind and gives interested buyers an easy way to re-engage. With Easify, you can schedule reminders automatically.

4. Leverage MMS (Multimedia Messages)

Words are great. Photos are better.

MMS messages let you send visuals that catch attention fast: property photos, short video tours, or neighborhood maps.

Visual messages get up to 8x more engagement than plain text. One agent using Easify sent three quick photos (exterior, kitchen, bedroom) and saw open house attendance jump 40%.

One agent we work with sends a three-photo sequence: exterior shot, kitchen, and master bedroom. Her open house attendance jumped 40% after she started including these visual previews.

5. Follow Up After the Open House

Most agents wait too long to follow up. Don’t.

Send a thank-you text within an hour:

It reaches people while they’re still thinking about the property, which makes your timing perfect.

With Easify, you can automate this follow-up, add a 24-hour check-in, and move leads into your nurture flow if they don’t respond.

Best Practices for Open House SMS Campaigns

Before you start texting your contact list, keep these best practices in mind:

Follow opt-in rules

Only text people who’ve given permission.

Make sure every contact has either texted your keyword or agreed to receive texts.

Easify automatically keeps you TCPA and 10DLC compliant.

Keep messages short, personal, and timely

Write like a human, not a bot.

Use the person’s name when possible.

Keep texts under 160 characters when you can.

Send during reasonable hours. No late-night messages.

Avoid over-texting

One or two messages per property is plenty.

Weekly market updates are fine; daily check-ins are not.

Too many texts can lead to opt-outs or blocks.

Track engagement in Easify’s dashboard

Monitor which messages get the most replies.

See which open houses had the best turnout.

Identify which follow-up sequences turn leads into clients.

Double down on what’s working and drop what’s not.

Running your SMS campaigns this way keeps you compliant and trusted by your audience.

How Easify Helps Realtors Automate Open House Marketing

You didn't get into real estate to become a marketing automation expert. You got into it to help people find homes.

Easify handles all the technical stuff so you can focus on clients.

Auto-Replies and Contact Tagging

Set up unique keywords for each property.

Every incoming text triggers an instant reply and automatically tags the contact.

A lead texting your downtown condo keyword gets tagged as “Condo Interested.” Someone texting about a suburban listing gets a different tag and follow-up flow.

Follow-Up Sequences

Schedule a series of automated texts that nurture leads over time.

Example:

Day 1: Thank-you + property details

Day 3: Quick check-in question

Day 7: “Still interested? Here are three similar homes.”

Set it once. Easify handles the rest.

CRM Integrations

Connect Easify to your CRM.

Keep your database accurate and up to date, effortlessly.

Local Number Texting & Group Campaigns

Text from your real business number, not a shortcode.

Run campaigns for specific neighborhoods or property types.

Send targeted invites or follow-ups based on buyer preferences.

One agent using Easify increased open house attendance by 40% in her first three months. Another cut her follow-up time from five hours per week to 30 minutes. These aren't special cases with huge marketing budgets. They're regular agents who simply started using text marketing for open houses instead of relying on outdated methods.

Final Thoughts on SMS Marketing for Open Houses

Clipboards and Facebook posts don’t fill open houses anymore. But text marketing for open houses? That does:

Faster engagement. Better data capture. Higher conversions. Way less manual work.

With Easify, you reach buyers instantly, follow up automatically, and never lose a lead again. It’s fast, personal, and built for the way people actually communicate.

Start your 7-day free trial today and your next open house could be your best one yet.

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