More than ever both real estate agents and sellers are wondering whether or not open houses are necessary in today’s market. With all of the access homebuyers have to inventory online, the true freedom of attending open houses on their own time and being able to browse before they buy will never go away.
Open houses have been a proven marketing tool for real estate agents for over a century due to what they offer to potential buyers—the freedom to go look at homes without a real estate agent. Since the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) rule changes of 2024 many buyers are wanting to begin their home search on their own and do not want to hire an agent until they find the right house to buy.
Since 2024 the number of homebuyers using open houses during their home search jumped from 3% to over 53%, and yet only 5% of homes are ever held open every weekend, according to findings by NAR. Due to this recent change in buyer behavior, sellers have a much higher chance of selling their home if they have an open house.
Open houses also allow buyers to find and view homes that they missed online. As much access as these buyers have to online search engines, their search criteria is very limited which can cause them to miss out on potential homes that may be what they want but didn’t show up in their search online.
There are many things you cannot search online and many things that a buyer “thinks” are must haves until they walk into their dream home by following an open house sign and the house is missing just one thing that caused the home to be deleted from their online search. This is very important in markets with high and low inventory. In areas with a high inventory of homes, buyers have to narrow their search criteria to not miss out on potential homes that they didn’t find online. In areas where inventory is on the lower end, buyers are led to having to look into unfamiliar communities that fit their new budgets given high interest rates and unavailability. This is the true power of open houses.
There is no doubt that open houses sell houses in today’s market and that they are one of the most effective ways for real estate agents to get in front of potential buyers and sellers. The problem lies with our sellers not being comfortable having open houses due to them not feeling that they are safe and that their home is being protected.
Tech tools like Open Houses Direct which verify all open house visitors instantly have changed the way open houses can now be run. For agents using a system that verifies the information of every visitor, now, agents and home wners can rest assured that they are hosting a safer and more secure open house. This also allows the agents to capture visitor information that they can now follow up with for crucial feedback that was not shared during the open house visit.
By treating open houses as a purposeful and technologically-enhanced strategy, a seasoned agent can secure a continuous stream of new buyers, transforming a simple showing into a foundational pillar of their business.
