Why questions work better than listings right now
The last two weeks of October are some of the easiest weeks of the year to get your sphere talking. People are decorating, buying candy, planning costumes, and starting to think about the holidays. They have opinions, and a simple question gives them a reason to share them.
A listing post asks people to do something. A question asks them to say something. That second ask is much smaller, which is why it gets more replies. Every reply is also a small piece of information about a person in your database: where they live, what they care about, and sometimes what is changing in their home life.
Below are 50 questions you can post between October 16 and October 31, grouped by theme. Copy them, tweak them to sound like you, and put them on your calendar.
How to use these questions well
A question post only works if you show up after you hit publish. A few habits make the difference:
Answer your own question first. Put your answer in the caption or the first comment. People reply faster when they can see the tone you want.
Reply to every comment within a day. Ask a follow up question back. That turns a one word answer into a real conversation.
Use a photo you took. Your porch, your kid's costume, your coffee order. A real photo beats a stock graphic every time.
Keep it short. One question per post. If it takes more than five seconds to answer, fewer people will.
Log what you learn. If someone mentions a new baby, a kid leaving for college, or a kitchen they hate, add a note to their contact record. That note is the reason you posted.
Two or three question posts a week is plenty. Mix them in with your usual market updates and listings.
Halloween week questions
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so expect a full weekend of parties, trunk or treats, and neighborhood events. Post these from October 24 through October 31.
What is the best street in town for trick or treating?
Full size candy bars or fun size? Be honest.
What candy do you secretly hope is left over?
Are you the house with the giant inflatables or the house with the lights off?
What was your favorite costume as a kid?
Family costume or everyone for themselves this year?
What is the scariest movie you have ever watched all the way through?
Does your neighborhood do a trunk or treat, a block party, or nothing at all?
Has your house ever felt haunted? Tell me the story.
What time do you turn the porch light off?
Fall at home questions
These are your quiet gold mine. People answer them casually, and the answers often tell you how they feel about the home they live in now.
What is the one room in your house where everyone ends up when it gets cold?
Fireplace, wood stove, or a really good blanket?
What is the first thing you do to get your home ready for winter?
Leaves: rake them, blow them, or leave them for the yard to deal with?
What is one home project you promised yourself you would finish before the holidays?
If you could add one thing to your home before winter, what would it be?
Is your kitchen ready for hosting this year, or are you dreading it?
What is your favorite fall smell in the house? Candle, cider, or something in the oven?
Do you decorate the front porch for fall, or skip straight to the holidays?
What is the coziest home you have ever lived in, and what made it feel that way?
Pay close attention to answers on questions 5, 6, and 7. Someone who says their kitchen is too small to host is telling you something.
Local and community questions
Local questions position you as the person who knows the area. Swap in your own town, neighborhoods, and businesses.
Where is the best pumpkin patch or apple orchard around here?
Which local coffee shop does the best fall drink?
What neighborhood goes all out for Halloween decorations?
Best local spot for a fall walk or hike?
What is a local business you want more people to know about?
Which fall festival or event in town do you never miss?
What is one thing our town does better than anywhere else in the fall?
If a friend moved here tomorrow, where would you take them first?
What local restaurant do you go to when the weather turns cold?
What is something new in the neighborhood this year that you love?
Save the answers. They make great material for a local guide, a newsletter section, or a welcome packet for your next buyer.
This or that questions
These take two seconds to answer, which makes them perfect for Stories polls or a busy weekday post. Use them on the days you have no time to write a caption.
Pumpkin spice or apple cider?
Carve the pumpkin or paint it?
Corn maze or hayride?
Big backyard or walkable neighborhood?
Open floor plan or separate rooms?
Front porch or back deck?
Gas fireplace or wood burning?
Old house with character or new build with no surprises?
Cul de sac or close to downtown?
Sweater weather or still wearing shorts?
Questions 4 through 9 are the sneaky ones. They feel like fun, but they tell you what someone would look for in their next home.
Looking ahead to November and the holidays
Clocks fall back on November 1 and Thanksgiving is November 26. Use the last few days of October to start the holiday conversation early.
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year or traveling?
Love the extra hour of sleep, or hate the early dark?
What is the one dish that has to be on your holiday table?
Do you decorate for the holidays before or after Thanksgiving?
Which room in your house would you change before the holidays if you could?
Is this the last holiday season in your current home? (Ask this one with a smile.)
What is one goal you still want to hit before the year ends?
What are you most grateful for about where you live?
Who is coming to stay with you this season, and do you have room for them?
What holiday tradition started in a home you used to live in?
Turn the replies into real conversations
The comments are not the finish line. They are the start. When someone answers, reply publicly, then send a short direct message a day or two later if the answer gave you an opening. "You mentioned the kitchen is too small for hosting. Have you ever priced out what a bigger one would look like?" is a natural next step, not a sales pitch.
The agents who get the most out of this are the ones who capture what they hear. A comment that says "we need more room now that the twins are walking" is worth a note in your CRM and a follow up in January. Without that note, it is gone by Thanksgiving.
If keeping up with posts, replies, and database notes feels like a second job, that is exactly the kind of work a dedicated VA can handle. At The Option Leverage Platform, our VAs help agents schedule content, track engagement, and keep every contact record current, so the conversations you start online actually turn into business.