Open house checklist for real estate agents
An open house concentrates a weekend's buyer traffic into a few hours, in a home the agent is responsible for while the owner is out. Run unprepared, it costs more than a slow afternoon: valuables left in drawers while strangers walk through, visitors who tour and leave without a contact detail, and a seller who hears nothing afterward and starts doubting their agent.
This open house checklist covers one event, from agreeing the date with the seller to following up every visitor within 24 hours. It is written for the listing agent running the event, including the prep tasks the seller has to be asked for and chased on.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best day and time for an open house?
Weekend afternoons draw the most visitors, with Sunday from roughly 1pm to 4pm the default in most markets. Two to three hours is enough; longer events go quiet in the final hour. Check what nearby competing listings have scheduled, and either avoid the clash or run the same window so their traffic walks to yours.
Do open houses actually sell the house?
Only a small share of buyers find the home they buy at an open house. It still does two jobs well: it concentrates a weekend of buyer traffic into a few hours for the seller, and it fills the agent's pipeline with buyers who are actively touring. Sellers should hear both purposes before agreeing to one.
What should you do if the seller insists on staying?
Explain that buyers talk more and stay longer in an empty house, and that the unfiltered feedback from those visits is what helps price and present the home. If the seller still stays, give them a role away from the door and never let them lead tours: an owner following buyers room to room shortens visits.
Should an agent run an open house alone?
Bring a second person for any property that is vacant, high-value, or unfamiliar: a colleague, a lender partner, or an assistant. Sign in every visitor before they tour, keep your phone on you, and position yourself so a visitor is never between you and the exit. Have the seller lock away valuables, medications, and anything showing personal details.
Is a paper sign-in sheet enough, or should you use an open house app?
Paper sign-ins produce phone numbers nobody can read and names that never reach the CRM. An app validates contact details as visitors type them and syncs before you have left the driveway. The prep around the event is its own repeating checklist per listing; teams running several listings track it in Slack, where Chaser chases each task's owner.
