Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: “Gamify Your Open House: The Trick That Triples Visitor Engagement”

Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada
Host: Tristan Ahumada
Episode 706 | November 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this fast-paced episode, Tristan Ahumada dives into the concept of gamifying open houses—a strategy he tested before the COVID era but is now considering reviving. Inspired by a recent interview and the book Press Play, Tristan shares actionable insights on how introducing interactive elements can not only increase open house engagement but also refresh the entire experience for visitors and agents alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Background to Gamification (00:00–01:15)

Personal Story: Tristan reminisces about using gamification in open houses before the pandemic, highlighting that it made a significant impact at the time.
Inspiration: “I just interviewed somebody who wrote the book Press Play, talked about gamification and I thought, man, we should bring that whole open house game back.” (Tristan, 00:32)

The Original Game Format (01:15–03:00)

How it Works:
- Upon arrival, visitors receive a card with specific questions about the property (e.g., features of rooms, backyard details).
- No need to touch or move anything; simply observe and answer.
- Completed cards are entered for a prize draw (e.g., a $100 gift card).
Purpose & Results:
- “It helps them remember the different parts of the rooms… People go through the process, they remember the home more, which is important, right? And they ask more questions.” (Tristan, 02:38)

Agent-Driven Variations & New Ideas (03:00–04:05)

QR Codes & Interactive Clues:
- Some agents suggest updating the process:
  - Give guests a game card or a QR code upon entry.
  - Each room contains a clue or question to find/answer.
  - On completion, guests enter the prize draw.
- Concerns discussed about not wanting guests to move items around or disrupt the home: “I wasn’t too comfortable with it because my clients may not be happy with people moving stuff around.” (Tristan, 03:42)
Adapting the Format:
- Clues need not be hidden; they can be openly displayed in each area for an easier, less intrusive game.
- “Maybe having the clues not hidden just in the room could be another option.” (Tristan, 03:46)

Sample Questions & Visitor Engagement (04:05–05:00)

Sample Questions to Encourage Observation:
- Kitchen: “What color were the countertops?”
- Living room: “Find the item that makes this space the most cozy.”
- Primary bedroom: “What color were the curtains?” or “Could you fit a flat-screen TV here: yes or no?”
- Bonus room/backyard: “Were there any fruit trees?”
Open-ended/Closed-ended Qs:
- “Things that make them think like, hey, did I pay attention to this or not?” (Tristan, 04:57)

Benefits of Gamification in Open Houses (05:00–06:10)

Memorability & Interaction:
- Gamifying the visit leads to:
  - Visitors remembering property features better
  - Increased quality and quantity of questions from potential buyers
  - A more interactive, immersive experience
Building Future Engagement:
- “I think the interaction is the thing that connects people to the home. Connects people to you.” (Tristan, 05:36)
- Opportunity to build a relationship and promote future events: “Hey, I’m going to be having another open house. Look for my open house, I’m Tristan. And we’re going to make it interactive again.” (Tristan, 05:42)

Tech Upgrades & Making it Kid-Friendly (06:10–06:45)

Digital Elements:
- Using QR codes linked to Google Forms for easier submissions.
- Possible leaderboard for added competition.
- Adaptations to suit families: “You could even make it kid friendly. The point is you got to gamify your open house.” (Tristan, 06:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“It helps them remember the different parts of the rooms… And they ask more questions. And I love that because it made it interactive.” (Tristan, 02:38)
“I wasn’t too comfortable with [hidden clues] because my clients may not be happy with people moving stuff around.” (Tristan, 03:42)
“I think the interaction is the thing that connects people to the home. Connects people to you.” (Tristan, 05:36)
“You could even make it kid friendly. The point is you got to gamify your open house.” (Tristan, 06:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:00–01:15 — Introduction & Background
01:15–03:00 — Overview of Original Gamified Open House
03:00–04:05 — Agent Suggestions: QR Codes & Hidden Clues
04:05–05:00 — Sample Questions & Engagement Strategies
05:00–06:10 — Benefits & Building Relationships
06:10–06:45 — Tech Upgrades and Making it Family-Friendly

Recap

Tristan Ahumada’s episode highlights that gamifying open houses is a simple, powerful way to enhance visitor engagement and property recall. Whether by using answer cards or QR codes, making open house visits interactive can foster stronger connections between guests, the home, and the agent. Tristan encourages listeners to try this approach and reach out for more info—reminding everyone that staying innovative is key to thriving in real estate.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:01]
A
So a long time ago, maybe not that long ago. Pre Covid. Pre Covid. We ran a few open houses and we gamified them. And I don't know that we've tried very many after that. I was trying to remember as I was building this out, I had to go look at my notes to just get this down. It'd been that long. And now we're thinking we might bring it back because I just interviewed somebody who wrote the book Press Play, talked about gamification and I thought, man, we should bring that whole open house game back. And here's the gist. So I had the notes, I actually wrote them out and I took a picture of them uploaded to ChatGPT and said, hey, can you expand this so that it becomes a game? So if you need this, this is episode 700-6706. Gaming. Gaming for your open house is what I called it. Call it whatever you want. I'm Tristan. This is your daily real estate. It's a podcast, it's a show. Six, seven, sometimes even five minutes, who knows? All has to do with real estate and your business. Today we're going to go over gamifying your open house or the gamification of open houses. Now you want to welcome people in like you normally do, but you want to either do one of two things. Now here's a separation because I only tested one of these, I didn't test the other one. The other one was our agents ideas as we're going through and saying, hey, should we bring this back? We have a card that we show them and say hey look, go through the, go through the house. And at the end as you're paying attention to the rooms, this card I'm going to give to you and your significant other or to both of you. And you're going to go through and you're going to answer questions based on what you can see at the house, in these rooms, in these different, in the backyard, in the different locations. Now there's something I'm going to ask about the room. You don't have to touch anything, you don't have to move anything. And when you come back, you're going to get this card from me, you're going to fill it out, we're going to put it into this box and then I'm going to tell you at the end of the week, at the end of the month, whether or not you won the hundred dollar gift card or whatever we're giving away, it's gamifying them and helps remember, helps them Remember the different parts of the rooms and that's how we ran it. Now my agents are saying, well, Tristan, what if this is what they wrote down? So this I haven't tried. When a guest arrives, you give them a game card or a QR code. I'm like, that's a good idea, guys, explain. Each room has a hidden clue or question. Find them all completed. Find them all. Complete the card and enter to win a prize. So it's a little different with the hidden clue. I wasn't too comfortable with it because my clients may not be happy with people moving stuff around. I definitely don't want that. So maybe having the clues not hidden just in the room could be another option. But you want to pick the rooms, you want to pick the questions. It could be, let's say six questions they need to ask. I have examples here. If it's in the kitchen, what color were the countertops? If it's in the living room, find the item that makes this space the most cozy. Primary room or the big bedroom. What's your favorite feature here? Could be open ended. I would rather say, hey, what color were the curtains? Or could you fit a flat screen TV here? Yes or no. Right. And then bonus room or backyard. Backyard. Were there any fruit trees? Right. Things that make them think like, hey, did I pay attention to this or not? Anyway, what we found is that it's enjoyable. People, people go through the process, they remember the home more, which is important, right. And they ask more questions. And I love that because it made it interactive. And I think the interaction is the thing that connects people to the home. Connects people to you. Because right after you could say, hey, I'm going to be having another open house. Look for my open house, I'm Tristan. And we're going to make it interactive again. Now you can also, instead of doing the card at the end, you can have them scan the QR code. And I put here, this is my agents telling me, they said, why don't we just do that? The QR code would take them to a Google form version and they can fill it out there as well. You can add a leaderboard. You could even make it kid friendly. The point is you got to gamify your open house. I thought it was a something we should bring back. And if you're in the area, you may see us do this. If you're not, then this is episode 706. Just message me on Instagram and I'll send this over. Have an awesome day.