A useful open house begins before visitors arrive and continues after the doors close. Prepare accurate property information, welcome people professionally and follow through on the next steps they agree to. Use this checklist with your broker to plan the event and review what you learned.
Before: confirm the plan and prepare the property
- Arrange an authorized property. If you do not have your own listing, ask your broker about hosting another agent's listing. Confirm approval, access instructions, responsibilities and how inquiries will be handled before advertising it.
- Agree on the purpose. Discuss the seller's goals with the listing agent: property exposure, useful visitor feedback and appropriate follow-up. An open house does not guarantee an offer or a future client.
- Learn the property. Review current listing details and available disclosures. Prepare an accurate information sheet and a list of questions to verify with the listing agent. Do not guess about condition, costs or restrictions.
- Promote the confirmed event. Use approved photos and descriptions with the correct address, date and hours. Coordinate promotion with the listing agent and check applicable advertising, sign-placement, community and property rules before posting or placing signs.
- Set up your safety and visitor procedures. Arrange approved colleague support, check-in times, access and closing instructions with your broker. Follow the new-agent safety guide. Prepare a brokerage-approved method for recording visitor information and agreed follow-up.
Arrive early enough to review the layout, prepare approved materials and check that the advertised information is still accurate. Confirm which areas visitors may enter and how questions or problems will be escalated.
During: welcome, listen and explain
Introduce yourself and explain your role using your brokerage's approved language. Welcome neighbors and other visitors respectfully without assuming that they intend to buy, sell or become your client.
- Ask what brought the visitor in and what they would like to understand about the property.
- Give people room to look, while remaining available and following your safety routine.
- Ask what features they liked and what did not meet their needs. Listen before suggesting another step.
- Explain verified property information clearly. Record questions you need to check rather than improvising an answer.
- Ask whether they are already working with an agent and follow your broker's process for those conversations.
- If further contact would help, agree on what you will send or do, the preferred contact method and a suitable time. Respect a decision not to receive follow-up.
Use the client-needs checklist to separate essential needs from preferences. Keep notes in your approved system; do not leave visitors' contact details visible to other attendees or treat a visitor sign-in as blanket marketing permission.
Keep open-house attendance and buyer services distinct
Under the NAR guidance linked below, someone visiting an open house independently does not need a written buyer agreement simply to attend. Hosting on behalf of the seller differs from beginning to work with a buyer and touring homes together. Before offering buyer services or arranging another tour, confirm the applicable agreement, disclosure and brokerage process with your broker.
See NAR's open-house and written-agreement guide and Florida Realtors' buyer-agreement guidance. Requirements depend on your role and applicable rules; these resources were checked November 8, 2026.
After: secure, follow through and review
- Close according to the agreed procedure. Follow the property's access and security instructions. Raise safety concerns with your broker; do not investigate a suspicious situation alone.
- Report useful feedback. Give the listing agent a factual summary of attendance, recurring questions and property feedback. Separate observations from assumptions.
- Complete promised actions. Send the requested information or confirm an agreed appointment through the approved channel. Follow your brokerage's communication and consent procedures.
- Set the next reminder. Record the action, date and outcome. Use the lead-prioritization and follow-up guide for organizing the work.
- Improve one part of the next event. Review preparation, attendance, useful conversations, agreed next steps, time and costs. A quiet event can still reveal something to improve; attendance alone is not a measure of sales results.
Watch: ask what visitors liked and needed
This short example from How to Hold a Great Open House (October 2018) asks what visitors like and what would better fit their needs. The embedded excerpt runs from 33:43 to 34:08. Open the same passage on YouTube if the player does not load; that link continues into the full historical recording. Use the current written checklist for procedure rather than the older episode's statistics, promotions or transaction advice.
Prepare for your next event
Rehearse a welcome, a property question you need to verify and an invitation to an appropriate next step using the role-play guide. Check the training included in your course or brokerage before buying more. For further business-building education, explore sales associate post-licensing, starting with video on demand when you need to learn on your own schedule.