RES Articles

Some sellers consider having an open house completely invasive. I understand this and if you can’t stand the thought of having random people coming through your home it’s best to have your agent conduct private appointments only. Having said that I would say that you will lose some of your potential market by selling this way. In general buyers are more at ease and get the chance to have a better look at an open house rather than seeing it one on one with a real estate agent. It is also easier for buyers to plan their day by going from “open to open”. Taking buyers from house to house was commonplace in real estate 15-20 years ago, but very rare now.

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It's not unlikely that you will have a nosey neighbour or two visit your open house, however you may be surprised to hear that in general, it will be a very low percentage of visitors to your house. Sometimes it’s not such a bad thing as neighbours usually say good things about the area or they may be mistaken for other buyers, therefore helping convince the real buyers that the house is highly desirable. The other issue with open houses is that some vendors worry about possible theft. This has happened before, but it is incredibly rare. Not many agents have insurance for potential theft but check your home contents policy as it should cover this. Of course, it is good practice not to leave valuables lying around. A good agent will usually do a quick sweep of the house to check for valuables prior to letting buyers through.

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Many agents today ask for photo identification from visitors to the house and this is a good practice. Even if it is not their office policy to do this, you can always insist that it is done. After all, it is your house and I’d be very surprised if your agent would risk losing your listing by refusing to do this. Keep in mind that an agent should know several of the buyers before they see them at an open house through their previous dealings.

My advice is that it is best to have open houses but set the parameters prior to signing up with an agent. You should know; will there be at least 2 agents attending the open houses, will the agent be taking names and sighting I.D, are you covered for potential loss?

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Just being handed the keys to somebody’s house is a really big deal and as an agent you should appreciate this. Also, from a buyer’s point of view it is important to remember that it is a privilege to be invited into somebody’s home and not a right. In reality other than occasionally getting a dirty carpet or some grubby fingerprints on the walls, open houses are almost always held without issue. Therefore, it is recommended that open houses are the best way to go. The most important thing to remember is that at the end of the day it’s your house and your decision.