Showing

A scheduled appointment for a buyer to walk through a home for sale. Usually booked through the listing agent or a showing service.

Listing & marketing · Updated September 2026

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Part 1 of 4

Why a seller cares

It is the one part of a sale that happens in your house, on somebody else's schedule. Deciding the hours you can show, and leaving during them, is most of what a seller controls.

Part 2 of 4

A simple example

You open Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Buyers book inside those hours; you take the dog for a walk.

Showing: a simple example
How showings are set upWhat it does
Set hours, booked in advanceFewer surprises; some buyers who cannot make those hours
Anytime with an hour's noticeMore showings; a house kept ready all day
By appointment only, seller presentBuyers say less and leave sooner

Showings are on your terms and in your absence, and the second part matters as much as the first.

Part 3 of 4

What people get wrong

That staying home for showings helps. Buyers talk freely in an empty house and quietly in an occupied one.

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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