Name
Kris Sylvester
Company
Areas of Focus
Brooklyn and Manhattan. Neighborhoods around Prospect Park – Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Lefferts Gardens, Crown Heights, Kensington, Ditmas Park, etc. The Village in Manhattan.
Awards
Gold Circle member. Most recent sales in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (Streeteasy).
Sales Volume to Date
~ $100M
What is your definition of a ‘successful’ open house?
20+ visitors and at least one offer.
How do you typically market your open houses?
Through Facebook and Streeteasy. If appropriate, I will also put up signs up in my neighborhood of Prospect Heights.
What do you do to prepare for a new open house?
I make sure online postings about the open house are online by the Tuesday or Wednesday before the open house and I always have my show sheets and brochures ready. I also make sure the building is pre-approved and I have all relevant information on the building ready so I can answer questions competently.
What is your method of asking visitors to sign-in and share contact information at your open house?
I greet everyone at the door and I say: “I would greatly appreciate it if you can sign in on the iPad.” I’ve never had much of a push back.
What qualifying questions do you always ask your visitors when you have them sign in?
Some of my open houses can have, on average, 40-75 visitors so I keep the questions very simple: name, email, where they heard about the listing and what broker they are working with.
How do you decide which customers to focus your time on?
I focus on those that seem ready to make a move , people who are pre-approved for a loan or have made offers in the past.
What is your usual process for following up with visitors?
I love how the Spacio app automatically follows up for me. This may be my favorite feature of the app.
Roughly what percentage of your sales would you say come from open houses?
80%
What’s the biggest challenge you encounter at open houses and how do you work around it?
The volume of visitors can be overwhelming. When I anticipate a huge turnout, I will enlist the help of another agent.
What is your number one piece of advice for hosting a successful open house?
Use the Spacio app. I can’t believe some agents still have visitors signing in on paper. How can you follow up when you can’t read someone’s writing? If you get even one character incorrect in an email address, the lead will go nowhere.
If there was nothing holding you back, where would you pack up your bags and move to?
Lake Como, Italy. Best vacation I’ve ever had.
I can’t believe some agents still have visitors signing in on paper. How can you follow up when you can’t read someone’s writing?