Open house

A scheduled block of time when anyone can walk through a listed home without an appointment. Usually a weekend afternoon, hosted by the listing agent or a colleague.

Listing & marketing · Updated September 2026

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Part 1 of 4

Why a seller cares

An open house brings neighbors, browsers and a few real buyers through in one afternoon. It sells homes less often than agents suggest and costs less than it seems: a few hours out, and everything valuable put away.

Part 2 of 4

A simple example

A Sunday open house from 1 to 3. Fourteen groups come through, two are actively looking, one books a private showing for Tuesday.

Open house: a simple example
Who comesWhat they tend to be
NeighborsCurious; occasionally they know a buyer
BrowsersNot buying this year
One or two real buyersThe reason to hold it

An open house is a low-cost, low-yield afternoon. The private showing it produces is the point.

Part 3 of 4

What people get wrong

That open houses sell houses. Most sales come from private showings; open houses feed them.

Part 4 of 4 · where to read next

Where it appears in the sale

What a definition is, and what it isn't

Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.

Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish

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