He has partnered with real estate firms to underwrite the cost of such events. A relaxed open house “offers me good face time with possible borrowers and a chance to meet more agents. This is all about building relationships,” Lane says.

Word gets spread in a variety of ways, he says. Most salespeople he works with mention the event in their MLS listing, he says. The strategy works, he adds.

A variation of this single open house is the movable feast, allowing lookers to see several homes and eat a variety of foods according to a set itinerary. Jana Martin, with Keller Williams Realty in Sarasota, Florida, says “champagne caravans” have become popular in her market. Each salesperson serves different foods and offers a glass of champagne at their respective listing stop. This type of event tends to last around four hours or so, so everyone can hit all the properties. They’re usually held between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. during the week, she says.

While the fancy open house is still geared primarily toward salespeople, in order to raise the profile of a particular high-end property, the tradition has been adapted as a technique for attracting potential homebuyers, says Laurie Moore-Moore, founder of The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing in Dallas. The company offers certification for salespeople who target listings in the top 10 percent of their market.

She calls these events “parties to sell a home” or “real estate soirées.” Chicago-area salesperson Honore Frumentino has an equally apt moniker: “Open houses on steroids.” And they offer an additional benefit. They often draw media attention, which can make them a very cost-effective marketing tool, Moore-Moore says.

A salesperson with a waterfront property, for example, might team with a boat broker, who brings a fancy boat up to the home’s dock, and attracts boat lovers, says Moore-Moore. Real-estate consultant Paul Purcell, with Braddock+Purcell in New York, advised a salesperson client to hire a horticulturists from an area botanical garden to lecture about plants for a listing with a terrace. This trick attracted homeowners seeking a property with a terrace and salespeople who specialized in homes with terraces.

Some events may also be tied into charity events, a tactic Frumentino, a luxury home marketing specialist with Koenig & Strey GMAC Real Estate in Deerfield, Illinois, has used. To sell a historically important 1927 David Adler-designed house on a waterfront site in nearby Highland Park, originally listed for $9.9 million, she tied it to a museum exhibit about the architect’s work and approached an organization that supports his work to use the home as their venue for a benefit. The organization agreed. The event has since become an annual fundraiser, Frumentino says.

Mortgage consultant Alex Giassa, with First Interstate Financial in Paramus, New Jersey, arranged a variation of that type of event to appeal to art lovers and others.

After brainstorming with a salesperson who handles newly constructed homes, the two hosted the Ridgewood Open House/Art Gallery this spring. The show included 14 pieces of art – one displayed in each room of a $1.2-million new home. A single artist looking for exposure loaned all the art. Giassa and the salesperson advertised the event in area newspapers and over the Internet, and worked with the area’s Chamber of Commerce.

Whatever tactic is deployed, remember that the key, beyond food, visuals and information offered, is to embrace your audience, says Martin. “They’ll remember most how you made them feel,” she says.