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<\/a>What is an open house?<\/h2>\n
This is a term for when a seller opens the doors of their home for a specific window of time to prospective buyers. The house is open for you to wander through and imagine living there.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s your opportunity to confirm the photos of the property and its dimensions are accurate, to understand the layout, and to even ask questions about that crack in the ceiling you didn\u2019t see in the pictures.<\/p>\n
Where did the open house concept come from?<\/h2>\n
The idea of opening up our houses to strangers interested in buying them is a relatively new one, only about a century old. Of course, open houses didn\u2019t start out as they are, and they took a few decades to evolve into the open houses we know and love.<\/p>\n
The first open houses<\/h3>\n
The concept of an open house was introduced in the 1910s, and the first open houses were all homes that were newly built. This ability to walk around a newly constructed home gave potential homebuyers the ability to explore new architectural styles, like innovative kitchen layouts, and modern (at the time) technologies, like electrical lighting.<\/p>\n
In the 1910s, indoor electricity was a big new thing that home builders were embracing and that homeowners were intrigued by, so showing off the benefits of an electrically wired home helped increase sold homes.<\/p>\n
These houses were open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the house was sold. And because the listing broker had to stay at the open house all day until it was sold, they were only able to sell one house at a time.<\/p>\n
The modern open house<\/h3>\n
As time passed, open houses evolved with the real estate industry. In the 1920s, open houses started being fully \u201cstaged\u201d (furnished as if someone already lived there.) This made it easier for potential buyers to imagine living in the home themselves.<\/p>\n
In the 1930s and 1940s, real estate agencies came into existence, consolidating multiple agents under one company, enabling one agency to show and sell multiple properties at the same time. These agents began to view open houses as a marketing tool to connect with buyers who may be a fit for other<\/i> listings the agency had, even if the open house property was not a fit or was sold to another client.<\/p>\n
In the 1940s and 1950s, as soldiers returned home after WWII, they focused on starting families, and the real estate market skyrocketed. Thanks to newspaper and radio ads, houses sold more quickly and open houses became much shorter commitments for the agents.<\/p>\n
In the 1950s, blue laws were in effect, prohibiting the completion of a business transaction on a Sunday, making it the perfect day to hold open houses. This left Monday through Saturday to complete the transaction, and if it stalled for some reason, another open house could always be held the following Sunday.<\/p>\n
Open houses haven\u2019t changed much since the 1950s because they haven\u2019t really needed to. They work just as they are to connect buyers and agents.<\/p>\n
Even the coronavirus pandemic hasn\u2019t significantly altered the way open houses work<\/a> \u2014 it has just introduced some crowd control rules and increased the number of virtual open houses<\/a>. The structure and purpose of open houses remains the same and likely will for a long time.<\/p>\n Most open houses are scheduled on weekends, during the day, as that\u2019s when most people have free time. You might find some open houses on weekdays, perhaps in the evening, but you should expect the majority of open houses to be held on the weekends and should therefore plan to dedicate a good part of your weekends to attending open houses while house-hunting, especially your Sundays.<\/p>\n Open houses are usually \u201copen\u201d for a span of several hours so that buyers can plan to visit more than one in a day (ideally, several!).<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re just exploring, starting your search without a broker<\/a>, or you want to extend your home search<\/a> to beyond what your buyer\u2019s agent is sharing with you, you have some options.<\/p>\n Open houses are usually advertised in lots of places beyond the multiple listing service (MLS)<\/a>, but the MLS is the best place to start your search for open houses near you that meet your dream home criteria.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve checked out the MLS, it\u2019s time to get on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are all popular with listing agents who are advertising their properties. All three platforms allow them to post multiple photos of each listing as well as pay to advertise priority listings.<\/p>\n To find open houses near you, search for #openhouse and your neighborhood or city. Be sure to filter by date to avoid wasting time on old listings! You can also follow agents near you on social media to be alerted when they share new properties.<\/p>\n It\u2019s old school, but agents and homeowners will still put up signs on properties advertising upcoming open houses. You may even find some open houses that aren\u2019t listed online, and you\u2019ll get to explore the neighborhood, which can be especially useful if you don\u2019t know it that well.<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t restrictions on who can attend<\/a>, though the purpose is to help people trying to buy a house find the right one for them \u2013 so if you\u2019re going just to look, be respectful!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t pester the agent with a ton of questions if you\u2019re not really interested in the house. Don\u2019t impede serious buyers\u2019 access to the open house, especially if there are limits to the number of attendees who can be inside at one time. Don\u2019t just show up for the snacks!<\/p>\n Open houses are a great way to begin your buying journey by seeing what you like and don’t like in a house, but if you’re not serious about buying right now, be considerate of those who are and of the agent who is trying to do their job.<\/p>\n The seller won\u2019t be there<\/a>, but the listing agent will probably be present, and they should be able to answer some of your questions about the house. If they don\u2019t have the information on the spot, they\u2019ll likely follow up with answers if you seem like a serious buyer.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll probably be expected to sign in and leave some contact information for the listing agent<\/a>. This is both so they can follow up with you, and so they can give the seller feedback on how their open house did in terms of number of attendees and other details.<\/p>\n If the idea of leaving your information bothers you, remind yourself: You are walking through someone\u2019s private and intimate space! Wouldn\u2019t you want to know who\u2019s walking through yours?<\/p>\n While you should be on your best behavior at an open house\u2014 measuring spaces is fine<\/a>, snooping in medicine cabinets is not<\/a> \u2014 don\u2019t feel rushed or hesitant to explore the living areas.<\/p>\n You can take your time walking through the house and ask the listing agent questions<\/a>. There may be information provided that should cover basic information, like when the house was built, why the current owners are selling, what the schools in the area are like, and if there have been any improvements and renovations. If the listing agent doesn\u2019t have the information handy that you\u2019re seeking, ask!<\/p>\n Remember to be considerate<\/a> of both the listing agent\u2019s time and the other attendees. It isn\u2019t a private showing, so please don\u2019t treat it like one.<\/p>\n Before you attend an open house, it\u2019s a good idea to do some research<\/a> about anything that\u2019s new to you about this house as compared to every other house you\u2019re considering.<\/p>\n Is it a different neighborhood than you\u2019ve considered before? Check out information about anything neighborhood-related that\u2019s important to you, like schools, taxes, whether the house is in a flood zone, etc.<\/p>\n Is it a different style or size of house? Check out what the history and layout of that house style is or what\u2019s possible to do with that square footage online. It\u2019s better to do a bit of research beforehand so you can ask relevant questions while you\u2019re at the open house.<\/p>\n Prepare a list of questions that are pertinent to the house you\u2019re visiting. If you weren\u2019t able to find information as part of your research, be sure to ask the listing agent; they should have that information or be able to get back to you after consulting the seller.<\/p>\n Most serious buyers are trying to hit several open houses in the same day and probably won\u2019t linger longer than 20 or 30 minutes, depending. Many buyers strategize their open house route to maximize the number of houses they can visit. Less time spent driving means more time at open houses, assessing potential new homes.<\/p>\n You can spend longer than 30 minutes if you really need the time to understand the house or have a lot of questions for the agent. However, be mindful of the fact that they will have to help other potential buyers as well, and they will not be able to dedicate several hours exclusively to your questions.<\/p>\n If you need more insight than you can get in 20 to 30 minutes, asking for a private viewing or to follow up with questions may be a good idea.<\/p>\n You can request a private showing \u2014 or, increasingly, a virtual showing \u2014 from the listing agent.<\/p>\n Virtual showings have become more popular as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and are a great way to tour a property if you can\u2019t make the open house due to timing or distance. Reach out to the listing agent to ask if you can still see the house and when and how they\u2019re able to show it to you.<\/p>\n Please don\u2019t request either a private or virtual showing if you are just browsing and not all that interested in this<\/i> house, as private and virtual showings can be time-consuming and complicated for the agent to coordinate.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re interested in the house you’re viewing, it\u2019s time to get your buyer\u2019s agent involved.<\/p>\n Ryan DeAmaral<\/a>, who works with 84% more single-family homes than the average agent in Benicia, California<\/a>, recommends that you \u201cschedule a private showing with your agent so that he can give his opinion and look for things that you might not have been looking for. Do another showing that’s private after the open house as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n He advises you also to disregard the number of attendees at the open house, as it\u2019s impossible for you, an attendee, to gauge things like whether you attended at the peak hour, how serious any of the attendees are about buying, or even how much they like the house itself.<\/p>\n This is an open house that\u2019s limited to real estate agents and brokers, so they can see whether it would be a good fit for their buyer clients.<\/p>\n As a buyer, you will not be able to attend a broker\u2019s open house. You can, however, ask your buyer\u2019s agent to attend a broker\u2019s open house on your behalf if you are really interested in the property.<\/p>\n Broker\u2019s open houses are usually held at times less convenient for the public, such as on weekdays instead of weekends or working hours instead of evenings.<\/p>\n An open house is a real estate tradition that can help buyers learn whether a home is a good fit for them. Now that you know all about open houses, it\u2019s time to ask your agent to help you line some up for discovery!<\/p>\n Header Image Source: (James Khashchuk \/ Unsplash)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is an open house? Where did this tradition come from? When are they scheduled, and how do you find them? These questions and more are answered for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":29185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,638,699],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-house-hunting","category-open-house"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen are open houses scheduled?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>How do you find open houses?<\/h2>\n
The MLS<\/h3>\n
Social media<\/h3>\n
Drive around and look for ads!<\/h3>\n
Can anyone attend an open house?<\/h2>\n
How do open houses work?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>How do I prepare for an open house?<\/h2>\n
How long should I spend at an open house?<\/h2>\n
What if I missed the open house?<\/h2>\n
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Schedule a private showing with your agent so that he can give his opinion and look for things that you might not have been looking for.<\/q>\n
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\n <\/li>\n \n <\/li>\n \n <\/li>\n \n <\/li>\n \n <\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <\/div>\n Currently accepting new clients<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
What if I really like the house?<\/h2>\n
What is a broker\u2019s open house?<\/h2>\n