First time home buyers have questions. Thankfully, you’ve got answers. But demonstrating your expertise to individual leads can be time consuming. So why not host an event that will connect multiple buyers with the information and expertise they’re looking for?

These events can be a great way to make connections, answer burning questions, and offer your services to people who haven’t heard of them before. But you need to plan things carefully if you want to make sure everyone will walk away happy.

Here’s a few tips that will help a first-time home buyer event run smoothly.

Know What Every Minute of Your Seminar Is Going To Look Like

It might feel like you’re getting ahead of yourself, but you’ll need to figure out where the presentation is being held before you finalize anything else.

Holding your event in a third party location, like a library conference room or community center, is usually best. That way your participants don’t feel pressured to buy anything, and you have more resources to work with.

But does your location have a place for your participants to park? How long will you have the room? Are you going to offer an online attendance option? And, if so, does your location have the tools to make that possible?

You’ll also need to make sure you have the right supplies. Do you need tables, desks, or clipboards? Are there enough paper, pens and reading materials to go around? Have you made sure there’s a way to collect each participant’s name and contact info? What kind of light refreshments and drinks will you serve?

Know How You’ll Be Promoting the Event

You don’t know who might be interested in your presentation, or the best way to reach them. So you’ll have to try every advertising option you can. Put ads in the paper and post flyers on local bulletin boards. Post event info on your social media profile and online community bulletin boards. You might even consider buying ads on Facebook.

While you’re doing that, don’t forget to contact anyone you’ve been networking with over the past year or so. Send out messages to all your leads and prospects – even your ‘dead’ leads. Take note of anyone who shows an interest and be sure to send out a mass confirmation email with contact info two days before the event.

Know What You’ll Be Discussing

Now that you’ve got a good idea of what the venue can provide, how many people are coming, and what tools you’ll have, you can finalize the details of your talk.

Most first-time buyers have the same worries, so your event should focus on answering certain questions: What’s the cost of buying a home? What’s the cost of buying a fixer-upper? Should you have an agent? How are real estate professionals compensated? What happens when you hire the wrong person?  How do you buy a mortgage? How much money will be needed up-front/each month?

The information you give should not only cover the basics, but offer some little-known resources as well. That way you won’t freak out the people who have just started their search, and you’ll still have something of value for those who have done their homework.

Also, plan to have at least one guest speaker. It makes you look like a connected expert, while giving your participants multiple people to talk to.

Know When to Follow Up

The event has ended, and the participants have left. But you still have the names and email addresses of everyone who attended. How can you tell who needs help and who doesn’t? By reaching out to your participants while the event is still fresh in their minds.

When you reach out, do it twice: first as an immediate thank you, then as a quarterly follow up. Within 48 hours of the event, send your attendees a thank you email with a survey that lets them tell you what parts of the event worked and which ones didn’t.

Then, after three months have passed, you can send a follow up email to anyone who hasn’t reached out for help. Doing so will keep your leads info up-to-date, while giving you a chance to help anyone who is still struggling to buy a house.