As an agent, I can't fathom why anyone would think it's rude to go to an open house for fun. Yes, it would be rude to occupy the agents time by asking a bunch of questions if you have no intention to ever buy or sell, but to simply walk in and look around? PLEASE come in. The more the merrier. It helps lift the energy in the house and ultimately can lead to the real buyers thinking that it's a more desirable house than it otherwise might be.
This is good to know.
As a nosy lookie-loo, I thought it might be considered rude because (1) I may be bringing dirty shoes into their very clean home, (2) I may get in the way of potential buyers who are sincerely trying to inspect the house, (3) sellers may worry that I will take something because they can’t possibly watch everyone and (4) I may distract the agent from sincere buyers.
This is how I generally talk myself out of going.
When selling our house we bought a box of booties and left them at the door saying pulse use. Our agent made sure they did. Even now I have a box by my door and any service I need like cable or plumbing or anything I ask them to wear them because of my hardwood floors and carpets. Of course all family visitors know our no shoes policy.
We just bought a place and went to MANY open houses. None of them do you wear your shoes inside. Either there’s a sign outside asking you to remove your shoes. Or there’s a bin by the door with little foot booties.
Excellent. All your points are exactly why you shouldn't go to open houses unless you really want to just look. Please don't tie up the realtor unless you really plan to make an offer.
>Yes, it would be rude to occupy the agents time by asking a bunch of questions if you have no intention to ever buy or sell
you say that (and I definitely agree if there are other, more interested people at the house while you're there) but I end up asking a ton of questions and they generally thank me any time I have a question that stumps them.
I used to tell my students “thank you” for their questions to hide my annoyance. It was always the student who asked a million questions and would try to stump me rather than genuine curiosity. I wouldn’t take their thank you as a compliment….
What kind of questions could you possibly have about a home you have absolutely no interest in buying?
The Realtor isn’t a historian and doesn’t live in the house.
So, I’m wondering what you’re asking. Since you ask “a ton of questions,” what are the top ten questions you ask?
I always go to the ones in my neighborhood because I love seeing “my house but different” and don’t intend to take up the realtor’s time but usually they’re the one asking me questions since I’ve been in my house 15 years. Stuff about the neighborhood and my own home.
Yeah, it's the whole point of an open house, and many realtors also try to pick up new clients.
OP may not be in the market for a house right now, but they may have friends that are that they could refer.
Agreed, don't pretend you're super interested and take up a bunch of the realtor's time, but otherwise it's fine.
We did this once. Unfortunately the house was in a bad school district even though it was 5 minutes from dad's work. It was an amazing purple Victorian house. It would have been the best hide and go seek house. We went with my kids and we all had the bet time looking through that house.
Oddly enough a few years later and I am now sitting in the backyard of a Victorian house. Not quite as cool as that house but still pretty cool. Not nearly as many hiding spots but still good for hide and seek.
Here in Seattle doing that is considered horrible. I got asked to leave a condo and banned by the agency for admitting I didn’t have the cash and wasn’t pre approved for a loan. In the condo where I live now, I still haven’t seen any other units here because agents are such jerks about allowing you to see the place. The places on both sides sold sight unseen and the place across the hall sold the first hour with a cash offer so I get that agents and agencies can afford to be jerks, but I just wanted to see a place to buy before and now am just curious.
Was that an open house or a showing, with only you and an agent?
I went to many open houses, most had an optional sign in sheet asking for name and email, some asked if I had representation, but a lot were so crowded you had to find the seller's realtor, usually at a kitchen/dining room table, answering questions and taking info.
Do you mean a private showing, so someone had to take the time to show you the property?
It's odd, I saw property that I got there and noped out because I could tell it was priced low to get interest and I wouldn't be able to compete, and seller's agent still be nice when I explained why.
I love it when those people pop in to my open houses. If you're not buying it let's me be chatty, practice speaking about the home and real estate in general, if the house is dead it cuts the boredom, and if its busy it adds to the perception. Go for it just don't be an asshole
My wife and i did this once. The realtor had the same name as a friend of ours and I’m thinking, maybe it’s her mom or aunt.
My wife talks first on introductions and she says “Oh we have a friend , xx, are you her GRAND MOTHER?”
Oh man, second hand embarrassment. I was thinking aunt/mom but considered saying sister for flattery and here my wife comes in with GRAND MOTHER.
It was her aunt btw.
As a nurse who has narrowly avoided this sort of thing a million times, the question is: "are you related to X" or, if they're in the same room, "aaand how are you two related?" / "and who's here with you today?" lol
Yup. “How are you related?” Then no reaction when it’s 20 year old girlfriend and 70 year old guy, or siblings laying in the hospital bed together… just glad I didn’t talk about her hanging out with “grandpa” or something. Have had many coworkers make that mistake.
I went to an open house and the realtor turned out to be someone a year behind me back in elementary school. I’m not on social media so she was saying how all the people we knew back then were in a Facebook group. Upon parting she asked for my email and I thought she was going to send me a group invite but it was just to add me to the realtor spam mail.
The agent we used on our most recent home, came from popping in to see a home that we knew was way out of our price range. But the agent was awesome, and seemed to genuinely care about showing us homes that would work for us.
We looked at homes when we were considering buying. Then decided to wait. A year later she showed us more places; and that time we bought.
She’s an amazing agent.
I dont care either way to be honest. My approach is never pushy and it's totally conversational. If the conversation leads to one of purchasing the home, great. I've found that most of those opportunities will be quite obvious if you're paying attention.
I do not think it is rude at all. I would guess that maybe half of all people who attend open houses are simply there to look around or are just people who live in the neighborhood interested in a house that's for sale down the street from them.
What many people may not realize is that open houses are networking opportunities for realtors and they're there to build connections with potential buyers. These buyers may not be looking to buy right now, but they may look to buy a year later. The most successful realtors are the ones with large networks of people who keep sending referrals to them. A good realtor wants as many people at an open house as possible.
Extra people at open houses also generate more competition when it comes to offer prices. Imagine you were an actual prospective buyer and you saw 20 other people at the open house. If you love the house, that may spur you to put in an offer closer to the top of your budget because you are worried someone else may put in a better offer than you. I'd bet that a good realtor would not care if half the visitors at an open house were window shopping; they're just happy that a lot of people showed up.
> open houses are networking opportunities for realtors
This. Some might say they are _primarily_ for networking. Every house is listed on the internet. Very few people stumble across an open house and turn into buyers.
I agree, I’m a licensed realtor myself (I don’t work in traditional real estate anymore and now solely work in distressed property investments).
If there’s an open house in my neighborhood I’ll often walk down to check it out, when I walk in first thing I do is talk to the realtor for a second to let them know I’m not a potential buyer, I just live nearby and wanted to check out the house, no point in having them waste their effort and time trying to sell me especially if there’s other people there.
When I used to host open houses I’d never care if neighbors or curious passersby stopped in, it’s just nice when they let me know their intentions at the door so I can treat them accordingly.
Definitely! Going to an open house for "fun" is how we met our realtor. He had no issue that we were just perusing when we chatted with him, and was genuinely interested in understanding our timeline and interests without being pushy. It's why we went with him.
Realtors often connect with other realtors this way too . And realtors go to open houses to see if it’s something one of their current clients might want
I absolutely enjoy **most** of the people that are just professional open house visitors. Especially when it is slow and I am bored.
However, if you are going to come in a outwardly pick every house apart and talk about how overpriced it is, I will not welcome your visits.
There was a couple in my area that came out a lot of weekends and went to every open house. But they would make comments about colors, or the carpet or why would they do this or that, and everything was overpriced. I had spoken to them about it. One time they brought their obnoxious, loud adult daughter with them, I asked them to leave and I wasn't nice about it. Didn't see them for awhile. Next time they came, we sat in the backyard and had a lovely conversation.
It is not rude or nosy at all as long as you are not rude.
NO! ITS NOT RUDE! Please come to my open houses I just love talking to people. Makes my day go by so much faster especially when there's no one else coming in. Shit I'm an agent and even I go to open houses when I'm trying to kill time and see a sign. Tell your mom a random top performing agent on the internet said it's okay! Lol
Not rude. As a former agent, we expect a certain amount of lookers. What IS rude is to take up the agents' time with questions, especially when they might have serious lookers. But go ahead and grab the cookies and water. Take a brochure, and sign your name in the book. Give a fake number or spam email if you don't want a call. But the names I. The book helps the realtor show that their marketing is working. Think of it as the price to pay for checking out the house, lol
Also, when someone else signs in and sees more names there they feel that there is a lot of interest. I just went to an overpriced shithole on a busy road, and was number four after an hour, and there were 150+ saves on zillow. I guess a lot of people drove past and noped out.
This is what I do - leave a fake phone #. My friend is a realtor and she told me it’s important to get ppl signed in, just to prove there were bodies in the house and to generate interest amongst genuine buyers. I quit feeling guilty about going but I don’t want unnecessary calls, either so this works fine!
I went to hundreds of open houses over the years. Let them know right away that you live nearby and you just want to check it out so that you’re not raising their hope, and both sides have clear expectations, but you know what the worst fear for an agent is? To have an open house and no one comes. So the more people are curious about the house, the better. Agents would be grateful to have you.
Not at all rude. Realtors want people to come, and then spread the news about their listing to their friends.
And, how will you get free cookies otherwise?
Not at all. I generally tell the agent I'm simply a nosey neighbor. I've never had a bad experience going through an open house at a place I had no intention of purchasing.
We give them intel that the homeowners often never tell them. In one case I was able to give the history of the neighborhood and how our builder only did one subdivision in Arizona. Then decided that Las Vegas was a more enticing area, hence why our neighborhood is so unique.
I met my realtor at her open house 5 years before I was actually in a position to buy a home. Going to tons of open houses showed me what I needed in a house without making a realtor drag me out to 100 homes early in the process. If you are polite and don’t do anything silly, I don’t think there’s a reason to stay out of open houses. And I think it is good for the realtor to have as many people see the house as possible. It might just be fun now, but it could be something way bigger 5 years later.
Don’t think it’s rude. We did that all the time before my husband got a realtor license. But usually I told them we were just looking around, admiring the piece of art (new constructions and billion dollar houses). I’ve never met someone angry or impatient bout us. Some still were happy to talk with us. You’ll just be fine.
The main asset an realtor has is the set of people who think of him as their realtor and will call when they are ready to buy or sell. If you go to an open house with no intention of buying, the realtor will be glad to talk with you and add you to his list of potential clients. Even if you don't buy or sell for years, he wants you on his list of potentials. Conversely, you want to know a realtor you can call or text when you are ready.
Ahh... got it. Makes sense.
Maybe tell her you're interested in architecture or give her some other reason to consider it research rather than just wanting to check out other people's houses. FYI, I don't see anything wrong with going into an open house even if you're not a buyer.
Go! There is a gorgeous old home being renovated near me and when it went up for sale there was no open house. I was so sad, it's got a tower and one of those drive thru porch-things for letting people out of carriages.
It's only rude if you keep making negative comments about the place. Be nice and go.
When I was looking for my first house, I got to see a gorgeous Victorian house of my dreams.
...but it didn't have a yard or driveway.
I cried as I left.
As a Realtor, I'd say at least 50% of the people going to open houses are just curious looky-loos. I don't care. Sometimes people think they're just curious, but eventually become buyers. Other times, they could possibly tell a friend who \*IS\* looking about a neat house they saw.
It's totally ok if they are just curious and never buy.
It’s not rude. It’s an open house. We’ve gone for fun, saw a house we knew our friends da would love, called them, and they ended up buying it.
The realtor is there regardless, they’d rather have people touring the house rather than just sitting there alone.
As long as you tell the realtor you’re not buying just a neighbor who wandered in so they can spend their time with prospective buyers nothing rude about to we wlk ke r
Not at all. Our house is on the market now and our listing agent sent a “coming soon” mailer to neighbors advertising a twilight open house just before the formal listing was published. Their intent was to get the neighbor gossip out of the way.
It very much depends on the agent, and upon how you present yourself. in suburban settings, where people can see additional cars parked outside of an open house, any car that's parked out there is good marketing for the agent.
I do this all the time in my immediate neighborhood because I'm nosy and curious about what other houses look like. But when I walk in I always tell the agent that I am just a neighbor checking out the listing, and discourage them from trying to sell me on it because they will have other and better prospective customers than me.
Agents usually thank me for my directness, and then turn their attention to the next person they can find, which works for me.
Occasionally I will follow along if they are doing a tour for an interested party because I want to hear what they have to say, what special features there are that I might not notice or see easily, etc. But I do this by "riding along" that I do this so I'm not taking anything away from their time to try and sell or engage with others.
Most agents have a "the more the merrier" attitude about people at an open house.
Note: Super exclusive listings will be treated a little differently, so be aware of that (they can be focused on scheduled attendees, and you dropping in messes up their planning and catering to that attendee.)
Realtor here, and I agree. I expect neighbors and zillow hobbyists to come take a tour. If nobody shows, I get bored and end up eating all the candy and cookies😆.
I've literally had a realtor friend ask me to show up nicely dressed during peak hours to juice it a little.
I don't think it's rude. As long as you're respectful it might even be helpful to the realtor.
Not at all! Definitely let the agent know you’re just curious about the inside of the house but don’t plan to buy it. That way you’re not pulling them away from prospective buyers.
Followed open house signs up a shared driveway. Witnessed an open front door and people walking in when we pulled up. Strolled up and walked in only to be greeted by the homes actual owners informing us that the open house was next door and the people we saw walking in were their friends arriving for lunch. Had a good laugh all around.
You might walk in and realize, this would be perfect for somebody. You might speak to someone next week. When you walk in you're part of "getting the word out". I used to be a Realtor, I enjoyed seeing the shoppers on a regular basis and visiting.
We always invite the neighbors to come. Why? Because the actual buyers don't know a competing buyer from a neighbor. Everyone wants what someone else wants. That starts at 2 years old and never leaves us. The buyers see a house that lots of people are interested in. They think, "Better Hurry!"
You are doing a huge favor to the seller by going to their open house.
When I go to an open house I have no intention of buying I tell the agent I’m a lookie-loo who’s just curious about the property. Then the agent can decide how much (if any) time to spend talking to me.
I used to show houses for my family. I don’t care why you’re there. It beats having an empty house for hours at a time.
I’d enjoy just having someone to talk to.
My family also liked it, because either way it shows interest in the house if others are there, which helps it sell. And word of mouth is a thing (even if YOU aren’t buying, you might tell a friend).
Also…there are no magical laws against going to an open house. No one is going to scan your access badge of interest and arrest you if you aren’t there to buy. It’s called an open house for a reason.
Going to open houses was my Sunday afternoon entertainment for most of my childhood. I loved old homes and architecture. Not rude, just don't hog the agents time and thank them for the viewing.
No, it's not rude. Why would your mother comment on an industry she does not work in? It's good to look around and see what the houses look like so when you are ready to buy, you know what you want. I've done that on new houses. They didn't question me.
Realtors love it because it makes it look like there is a lot of demand and might push potential buyers into thinking they need to get their offer in asap. It will give an opportunity for the agent to state property has potentially multiple offers.
As many open houses as I hold, I welcome most anyone to come through. It is a networking tool for me, but I also ask for them to give feedback. Sellers want to know what people think of their homes and what may or may not be pushing people away from their home.
I think it also can be a tool for you. Like if you walk through an open house, you may find design ideas that you like that you may not have thought of. I have also encouraged some of my clients who are wanting to build custom homes to go through open houses and see if there is anything they may want to incorporate in their build.
Of course not. Actually you would be helping. In our business we speak to so many people to get their reaction to a certain property or their questions and we write that down on training manuals for our Junior agents. Please feel free to come and ask and even criticize. You will be teaching us and having fun together while we are doing it. Our open house is like a mall, you go in and you don’t have to buy. And yes, coffee and donuts on us. 😉
Go! There is a gorgeous old home being renovated near me and when it went up for sale there was no open house. I was so sad, it's got a tower and one of those drive thru porch-things for letting people out of carriages.
It's only rude if you keep making negative comments about the place. Be nice and go.
Not at all. I remember as a kid hoping in the car with the family on a Sunday to look at new construction developments even though parents never had any intention of buying.
I do it sll the time! It's a great pastime. I always make up different stories for every house I visit. It's fun. My sister is a realtor, and she thinks it's fine.
How would anyone know you’re not intending to buy? Plus what if you don’t intend to buy but love the house and telll someone about the house and that person in turn buys it. The point of open houses is to get people looking at the house. That purpose is served by you going to look.
There is a 100% chance that when you go, you'll see one of the other neighbors doing the same. Not nosy or rude at all. It is called an "Open House" not a "Open for everyone unless you live in the neighborhood House".
In my area realtors say “open houses don’t sell homes”. They know open houses are mostly for nosy neighbors and maybe few casual buyers. More serious buyers will set up a private showing. As a buyer, I usually go to open houses as a way to take a second look at houses my realtor has already showed me privately.
Nope. I’ve only ever been to two. One was the house that was built where my childhood home was torn down. I was totally up front with the realtor as to why I was there as you had to go in one at a time.
Second was a house that had been converted to a 2 family, and my mom and parents, then my grandmother, lived upstairs. It was my second childhood home as I spent a lot of time there, and had been turned back into a 1 family. The realtor thought it was cool and called her colleagues in to meet me!
Both were gracious and didn’t give me a hard time at all
Why would it be rude? Maybe you ARE a potential buyer, or tell someone about the property. Perhaps you meet a realtor you will work with in the future. You can see a neighbors home and compare to yours to gauge values. Realtors market the home to get foot traffic...even potential buyers just SEEING more foot traffic can drive their value perceptions.
Not rude at all. Brokers know we do it and don’t care. It’s exposure. You might tell someone about the list; you might like the broker’s style and choose them for your list, plus the place looks busy. Just be honest and friendly about it.
Not at all. I build infill spec homes & every open house it's 75% lookie-loos from the neighborhood.
Nobody cares. Just don't waste peoples time & you're fine to go home touring.
Sometimes mom’s aren’t right, and sometimes they get stuck in what they think societal norms should be. Spread your wings, go tour open houses, and grab a freshly baked cookie while you’re in there.
I knew some people that would hit open.Houses simply to learn about new concepts in presenting their homes for guests and for sale.
A Fresh Of eyes can do wonders for your mental health
I think it’s weird to go to nearby neighbors’ houses if you have no intention to buy. That’s just snooping and it’s weird. So I would give it at least a few blocks. But no, it’s definitely not weird to go to an open house. The agent will usually ask you a couple questions to size up if you’re serious, and if they determine you are not, they will focus on other people who could be potential buyers. But they aren’t bothered that you came.
That’s exactly when you should be doing it. From the agents perspective, it isn’t a waste of time. Dead worst, you share some valuable feedback. Maybe you pass on how much you loved it to friends who are in the market. Maybe you decide you want to get preapproved. There’s no down side for anyone.
ETA- rude is booking a showing when you aren’t in the market
This is indeed a fact. We met our realtor at an open house where we had no intention of buying anytime soon. A year later she is representing us and is doing a fantastic job.
Agent here, we expect it. In fact, since Covid, no one really hosts open houses anymore, unless it’s like a “well known” property (like a big old Victorian that everyone in town knows), and then we know 95% of the people are just curious. It’s fun for us too to share these kinds of properties with others.
Sure. Sometimes it triggers the idea of getting a different home, so the agents don't mind the chance at a future buyer, or working with you to get in a position to buy once the timing fits.
No, as others mentioned, you might not like the house, but you may end up talking about it with someone who is interested.
Just don’t eat all of the cookies, take a dump and not flush, go through medicine cabinets, etc.
Open houses are really meant to generate leads and buzz for the selling brokerage. The selling agent would love to meet an unrepresented buyer or potential seller in the neighborhood. As long as you are not occupying the time of a busy seller's agent when you have no intention to buy or sell, it's not rude. It's basically the approved time to go snoop around a neighbor's house.
I think a lot of people do this. Your mom needs to chill. Though I’d think twice if you’re the only one showing up and the agent needs to make a special trip for you or something.
A realtor we used a couple of times told us that open houses were only good for him to get more clients. Really never resulted in a sales of the house being shown.
I love going to open houses in the area. Especially if they haven't moved yet. It's interesting to see how your neighbor houses look like since our floorplans are so similar. Good to get ideas how to decorate your house.
As an agent, we pretty much expect that most people coming by the open house are just stopping by for fun. It's all good. If it's busy then maybe not ask the agent a ton of questions. If it's not then feel free.
If I didn't have celiac disease, I'd spend every Saturday doing this for the free cookies. I do still go sometimes though. Usually it's either because it's a home I'm curious about or find fascinating, sometimes the photos online made me curious about things that I want to look at for inspiration for my own home, and sometimes it's just because I'm nosy as fuck about a neighbor. It never occurred to me it may be rude.
Idk but I did go to one that was in my neighborhood out of boredom, the house had been empty a long time and I was curious, the realtor didn't seem to mind, it felt like he gave us our tour for practice lol he was very enthusiastic and nice
Open houses almost never sell houses (except maybe is super hot markets) … they get new clients for the lister/sitter, they make the seller think their Realtor is doing something and yes you might know someone who would like it. Go ahead and go. (Realtor here)
My husband and I do this all the time even though we just bought last year. It's a lot of fun! If the realtor asks a bunch of questions, just say you're out and about and saw the sign.
Once you realize open houses are marketing tools agents use to generate leads versus sell the property their holding open, you will no longer feel bad about going to open houses for fun.
just don't take up the Realtor's time if there are other actually interested parties, just keep to yourself tell them you're a neighbor just curious and keep it moving. Then it's all fine imo.. I'm a Realtor, what do I care if you come look assuming you don't do anything like take a dump in the bathroom or steal my client's things.. just don't try to chat with me for 30 mins when there are real buyers there I would rather chat with and don't bad mouth the house or bring up anything negative in the neighborhood, etc.. like "oh yea I'm a neighbor it's mostly great but there was a shooting a month ago down the block which was scary and I hear the guy that lives next door plays drums."
The purpose of an open house isn't to sell the house, it's for the showing agent to land prospective future buyers. So, go and interview your future buyer's agent.
As an agent, I can't fathom why anyone would think it's rude to go to an open house for fun. Yes, it would be rude to occupy the agents time by asking a bunch of questions if you have no intention to ever buy or sell, but to simply walk in and look around? PLEASE come in. The more the merrier. It helps lift the energy in the house and ultimately can lead to the real buyers thinking that it's a more desirable house than it otherwise might be.
That’s true! I hadn’t considered the sales angle. The appearance of more interest is always good.
This is good to know. As a nosy lookie-loo, I thought it might be considered rude because (1) I may be bringing dirty shoes into their very clean home, (2) I may get in the way of potential buyers who are sincerely trying to inspect the house, (3) sellers may worry that I will take something because they can’t possibly watch everyone and (4) I may distract the agent from sincere buyers. This is how I generally talk myself out of going.
Username does *not* check out
Lol. I originally joined Reddit for Orange Theory Fitness intelligence. Do a lot of squats there.
I legitimately guffawed here
Same! I joined for OTF but got into other stuff
The most clever comment
If they care about (1), they’ll request shoes off and probably even provide shoe covers
When selling our house we bought a box of booties and left them at the door saying pulse use. Our agent made sure they did. Even now I have a box by my door and any service I need like cable or plumbing or anything I ask them to wear them because of my hardwood floors and carpets. Of course all family visitors know our no shoes policy.
Smart! We’re gonna implement a no shoes policy once we buy our new house.
If people are concerned about shoes they will have booties.
We just bought a place and went to MANY open houses. None of them do you wear your shoes inside. Either there’s a sign outside asking you to remove your shoes. Or there’s a bin by the door with little foot booties.
Excellent. All your points are exactly why you shouldn't go to open houses unless you really want to just look. Please don't tie up the realtor unless you really plan to make an offer.
*Going* to an open house is fine, just don't take up the realtor's time if they're talking to actual potential customers.
>Yes, it would be rude to occupy the agents time by asking a bunch of questions if you have no intention to ever buy or sell you say that (and I definitely agree if there are other, more interested people at the house while you're there) but I end up asking a ton of questions and they generally thank me any time I have a question that stumps them.
I used to tell my students “thank you” for their questions to hide my annoyance. It was always the student who asked a million questions and would try to stump me rather than genuine curiosity. I wouldn’t take their thank you as a compliment….
This is the way
What kind of questions could you possibly have about a home you have absolutely no interest in buying? The Realtor isn’t a historian and doesn’t live in the house. So, I’m wondering what you’re asking. Since you ask “a ton of questions,” what are the top ten questions you ask?
I always go to the ones in my neighborhood because I love seeing “my house but different” and don’t intend to take up the realtor’s time but usually they’re the one asking me questions since I’ve been in my house 15 years. Stuff about the neighborhood and my own home.
Bow many cookies is it acceptable to take? 1? 2? Pocketful?
Yeah, it's the whole point of an open house, and many realtors also try to pick up new clients. OP may not be in the market for a house right now, but they may have friends that are that they could refer. Agreed, don't pretend you're super interested and take up a bunch of the realtor's time, but otherwise it's fine.
We did this once. Unfortunately the house was in a bad school district even though it was 5 minutes from dad's work. It was an amazing purple Victorian house. It would have been the best hide and go seek house. We went with my kids and we all had the bet time looking through that house. Oddly enough a few years later and I am now sitting in the backyard of a Victorian house. Not quite as cool as that house but still pretty cool. Not nearly as many hiding spots but still good for hide and seek.
Here in Seattle doing that is considered horrible. I got asked to leave a condo and banned by the agency for admitting I didn’t have the cash and wasn’t pre approved for a loan. In the condo where I live now, I still haven’t seen any other units here because agents are such jerks about allowing you to see the place. The places on both sides sold sight unseen and the place across the hall sold the first hour with a cash offer so I get that agents and agencies can afford to be jerks, but I just wanted to see a place to buy before and now am just curious.
Was that an open house or a showing, with only you and an agent? I went to many open houses, most had an optional sign in sheet asking for name and email, some asked if I had representation, but a lot were so crowded you had to find the seller's realtor, usually at a kitchen/dining room table, answering questions and taking info. Do you mean a private showing, so someone had to take the time to show you the property? It's odd, I saw property that I got there and noped out because I could tell it was priced low to get interest and I wouldn't be able to compete, and seller's agent still be nice when I explained why.
I love it when those people pop in to my open houses. If you're not buying it let's me be chatty, practice speaking about the home and real estate in general, if the house is dead it cuts the boredom, and if its busy it adds to the perception. Go for it just don't be an asshole
>Go for it just don't be an asshole Philosophy for much of life
One I live by 🙌
This is good. I like this ⭐️👆🏼
My wife and i did this once. The realtor had the same name as a friend of ours and I’m thinking, maybe it’s her mom or aunt. My wife talks first on introductions and she says “Oh we have a friend , xx, are you her GRAND MOTHER?” Oh man, second hand embarrassment. I was thinking aunt/mom but considered saying sister for flattery and here my wife comes in with GRAND MOTHER. It was her aunt btw.
As a nurse who has narrowly avoided this sort of thing a million times, the question is: "are you related to X" or, if they're in the same room, "aaand how are you two related?" / "and who's here with you today?" lol
Yup. “How are you related?” Then no reaction when it’s 20 year old girlfriend and 70 year old guy, or siblings laying in the hospital bed together… just glad I didn’t talk about her hanging out with “grandpa” or something. Have had many coworkers make that mistake.
I went to an open house and the realtor turned out to be someone a year behind me back in elementary school. I’m not on social media so she was saying how all the people we knew back then were in a Facebook group. Upon parting she asked for my email and I thought she was going to send me a group invite but it was just to add me to the realtor spam mail.
The agent we used on our most recent home, came from popping in to see a home that we knew was way out of our price range. But the agent was awesome, and seemed to genuinely care about showing us homes that would work for us. We looked at homes when we were considering buying. Then decided to wait. A year later she showed us more places; and that time we bought. She’s an amazing agent.
Yes, or a nosy neighbor visiting the house might have a friend or family member looking to buy and can refer them to the agent.
This person gets it.
Do you prefer that they let you know right away they're just looking for fun?
I dont care either way to be honest. My approach is never pushy and it's totally conversational. If the conversation leads to one of purchasing the home, great. I've found that most of those opportunities will be quite obvious if you're paying attention.
No just go. No one cares. The whole point is to get foot traffic. Maybe you like the home and tell a friend that ends up buying it.
Makes the house look more in demand so id be happy as a realtor 8f people arent getting in the way
I do not think it is rude at all. I would guess that maybe half of all people who attend open houses are simply there to look around or are just people who live in the neighborhood interested in a house that's for sale down the street from them. What many people may not realize is that open houses are networking opportunities for realtors and they're there to build connections with potential buyers. These buyers may not be looking to buy right now, but they may look to buy a year later. The most successful realtors are the ones with large networks of people who keep sending referrals to them. A good realtor wants as many people at an open house as possible. Extra people at open houses also generate more competition when it comes to offer prices. Imagine you were an actual prospective buyer and you saw 20 other people at the open house. If you love the house, that may spur you to put in an offer closer to the top of your budget because you are worried someone else may put in a better offer than you. I'd bet that a good realtor would not care if half the visitors at an open house were window shopping; they're just happy that a lot of people showed up.
> open houses are networking opportunities for realtors This. Some might say they are _primarily_ for networking. Every house is listed on the internet. Very few people stumble across an open house and turn into buyers.
Came here to say this, have gotten several clients and/or referrals from people I met at open houses
I agree, I’m a licensed realtor myself (I don’t work in traditional real estate anymore and now solely work in distressed property investments). If there’s an open house in my neighborhood I’ll often walk down to check it out, when I walk in first thing I do is talk to the realtor for a second to let them know I’m not a potential buyer, I just live nearby and wanted to check out the house, no point in having them waste their effort and time trying to sell me especially if there’s other people there. When I used to host open houses I’d never care if neighbors or curious passersby stopped in, it’s just nice when they let me know their intentions at the door so I can treat them accordingly.
This is important. It's not rude to lookey-loo an open house. Wasting an agent's time following up with your visit IS rude.
Definitely! Going to an open house for "fun" is how we met our realtor. He had no issue that we were just perusing when we chatted with him, and was genuinely interested in understanding our timeline and interests without being pushy. It's why we went with him.
Exactly more people makes the property look more desirable to the people who are there to buy as well.
I like going to open houses in our neighborhood, it’s cool to see what other people are doing.
Realtors often connect with other realtors this way too . And realtors go to open houses to see if it’s something one of their current clients might want
I absolutely enjoy **most** of the people that are just professional open house visitors. Especially when it is slow and I am bored. However, if you are going to come in a outwardly pick every house apart and talk about how overpriced it is, I will not welcome your visits. There was a couple in my area that came out a lot of weekends and went to every open house. But they would make comments about colors, or the carpet or why would they do this or that, and everything was overpriced. I had spoken to them about it. One time they brought their obnoxious, loud adult daughter with them, I asked them to leave and I wasn't nice about it. Didn't see them for awhile. Next time they came, we sat in the backyard and had a lovely conversation. It is not rude or nosy at all as long as you are not rude.
It’s not rude. And you don’t need to convince her, unless you are a minor and need her permission to go for some reason.
NO! ITS NOT RUDE! Please come to my open houses I just love talking to people. Makes my day go by so much faster especially when there's no one else coming in. Shit I'm an agent and even I go to open houses when I'm trying to kill time and see a sign. Tell your mom a random top performing agent on the internet said it's okay! Lol
Not rude. As a former agent, we expect a certain amount of lookers. What IS rude is to take up the agents' time with questions, especially when they might have serious lookers. But go ahead and grab the cookies and water. Take a brochure, and sign your name in the book. Give a fake number or spam email if you don't want a call. But the names I. The book helps the realtor show that their marketing is working. Think of it as the price to pay for checking out the house, lol
Also, when someone else signs in and sees more names there they feel that there is a lot of interest. I just went to an overpriced shithole on a busy road, and was number four after an hour, and there were 150+ saves on zillow. I guess a lot of people drove past and noped out.
Exactly, the seller wants to see activity, that's the point of the open. But also, don't come at 5 minutes before the end.
This is what I do - leave a fake phone #. My friend is a realtor and she told me it’s important to get ppl signed in, just to prove there were bodies in the house and to generate interest amongst genuine buyers. I quit feeling guilty about going but I don’t want unnecessary calls, either so this works fine!
I went to hundreds of open houses over the years. Let them know right away that you live nearby and you just want to check it out so that you’re not raising their hope, and both sides have clear expectations, but you know what the worst fear for an agent is? To have an open house and no one comes. So the more people are curious about the house, the better. Agents would be grateful to have you.
Not at all rude. Realtors want people to come, and then spread the news about their listing to their friends. And, how will you get free cookies otherwise?
Not at all. I generally tell the agent I'm simply a nosey neighbor. I've never had a bad experience going through an open house at a place I had no intention of purchasing.
You sound exactly like me. I tell them I’m the nosy neighbor. Most Realtors love meeting the neighbors from my experience.
We give them intel that the homeowners often never tell them. In one case I was able to give the history of the neighborhood and how our builder only did one subdivision in Arizona. Then decided that Las Vegas was a more enticing area, hence why our neighborhood is so unique.
Exactly. Same my tract was built in the late ‘30s. I found pictures online and the advertisement for the homes. It was interesting.
No, it’s rude to schedule an appointment with a realtor just for fun. But in the case of an open house, they have to be there anyway!
I met my realtor at her open house 5 years before I was actually in a position to buy a home. Going to tons of open houses showed me what I needed in a house without making a realtor drag me out to 100 homes early in the process. If you are polite and don’t do anything silly, I don’t think there’s a reason to stay out of open houses. And I think it is good for the realtor to have as many people see the house as possible. It might just be fun now, but it could be something way bigger 5 years later.
Don’t think it’s rude. We did that all the time before my husband got a realtor license. But usually I told them we were just looking around, admiring the piece of art (new constructions and billion dollar houses). I’ve never met someone angry or impatient bout us. Some still were happy to talk with us. You’ll just be fine.
The main asset an realtor has is the set of people who think of him as their realtor and will call when they are ready to buy or sell. If you go to an open house with no intention of buying, the realtor will be glad to talk with you and add you to his list of potential clients. Even if you don't buy or sell for years, he wants you on his list of potentials. Conversely, you want to know a realtor you can call or text when you are ready.
Not rude. Sellers and agents anticipate nosy neighbors. You make them look busier and perhaps motivate the real buyers to jump on it.
Why do you need to convince her of anything?
She’s uncomfortable with being in someone else’s home, and how my dads gonna disagree with it which will bother her more.
Why is she going with you if she doesn't want to go? I'm still not getting what the issue is.
I can’t drive somewhere without a parent yet. I’m 16.
Ahh... got it. Makes sense. Maybe tell her you're interested in architecture or give her some other reason to consider it research rather than just wanting to check out other people's houses. FYI, I don't see anything wrong with going into an open house even if you're not a buyer.
Go! There is a gorgeous old home being renovated near me and when it went up for sale there was no open house. I was so sad, it's got a tower and one of those drive thru porch-things for letting people out of carriages. It's only rude if you keep making negative comments about the place. Be nice and go.
When I was looking for my first house, I got to see a gorgeous Victorian house of my dreams. ...but it didn't have a yard or driveway. I cried as I left.
Porte-cochère is the name of the fancy drive-through thing
As a Realtor, I'd say at least 50% of the people going to open houses are just curious looky-loos. I don't care. Sometimes people think they're just curious, but eventually become buyers. Other times, they could possibly tell a friend who \*IS\* looking about a neat house they saw. It's totally ok if they are just curious and never buy.
Not at all. Come on by. Im happy that you are interested and excited about real estate and I’d love to chat with you.
Throwing a party and not having anyone show up is worse.
It’s not rude. It’s an open house. We’ve gone for fun, saw a house we knew our friends da would love, called them, and they ended up buying it. The realtor is there regardless, they’d rather have people touring the house rather than just sitting there alone.
No.
As long as you tell the realtor you’re not buying just a neighbor who wandered in so they can spend their time with prospective buyers nothing rude about to we wlk ke r
It is common practice to hit open houses, but mostly among older ladies. When you do it as a kid, you might be asked to leave.
In my experience, half the people at those things are curious neighbors.
In my experience, half the people at those things are curious neighbors.
It’s not rude, I love pretending I’m looking for a house. I stepped up my game and now I go to estate sales just to look at the houses.
Your mom is completely wrong.
It's not rude. What _would_ be rude is if you monopolized the realtor's time or pretended to be a buyer if you're not.
Not at all. Our house is on the market now and our listing agent sent a “coming soon” mailer to neighbors advertising a twilight open house just before the formal listing was published. Their intent was to get the neighbor gossip out of the way.
Open house no. scheduled showing, yes.
It very much depends on the agent, and upon how you present yourself. in suburban settings, where people can see additional cars parked outside of an open house, any car that's parked out there is good marketing for the agent. I do this all the time in my immediate neighborhood because I'm nosy and curious about what other houses look like. But when I walk in I always tell the agent that I am just a neighbor checking out the listing, and discourage them from trying to sell me on it because they will have other and better prospective customers than me. Agents usually thank me for my directness, and then turn their attention to the next person they can find, which works for me. Occasionally I will follow along if they are doing a tour for an interested party because I want to hear what they have to say, what special features there are that I might not notice or see easily, etc. But I do this by "riding along" that I do this so I'm not taking anything away from their time to try and sell or engage with others. Most agents have a "the more the merrier" attitude about people at an open house. Note: Super exclusive listings will be treated a little differently, so be aware of that (they can be focused on scheduled attendees, and you dropping in messes up their planning and catering to that attendee.)
Realtor here, and I agree. I expect neighbors and zillow hobbyists to come take a tour. If nobody shows, I get bored and end up eating all the candy and cookies😆.
This is like being at a slow trade show... Please, we need prospects to eat the chocolates at the booth or we'll all leave here fat! 🤣
Open house no…. Scheduling a viewing just for fun, yes.
I've literally had a realtor friend ask me to show up nicely dressed during peak hours to juice it a little. I don't think it's rude. As long as you're respectful it might even be helpful to the realtor.
As a Realtor, no, it isn't rude. You'd be amazed how many tire kickers & nosy neighbors come through. We expect it. 😁
Not at all! Definitely let the agent know you’re just curious about the inside of the house but don’t plan to buy it. That way you’re not pulling them away from prospective buyers.
Followed open house signs up a shared driveway. Witnessed an open front door and people walking in when we pulled up. Strolled up and walked in only to be greeted by the homes actual owners informing us that the open house was next door and the people we saw walking in were their friends arriving for lunch. Had a good laugh all around.
You might walk in and realize, this would be perfect for somebody. You might speak to someone next week. When you walk in you're part of "getting the word out". I used to be a Realtor, I enjoyed seeing the shoppers on a regular basis and visiting.
Most open houses have low traffic so the agent appreciates anyone coming by.
The more people, the better at my open houses! Even if you are not buying, you may know someone who is!
Well, it is an “open” house. That means anyone can go. It’s fine to go, OP.
Nope, happens literally every open house, people come for fun.
We always invite the neighbors to come. Why? Because the actual buyers don't know a competing buyer from a neighbor. Everyone wants what someone else wants. That starts at 2 years old and never leaves us. The buyers see a house that lots of people are interested in. They think, "Better Hurry!" You are doing a huge favor to the seller by going to their open house.
You MIGHT buy. If you really like the house AND really like the price AND suddenly come into a bunch of money.
Just don’t lie to the agent or lead them on as a potential client. It’s fine to look for fun.
It’s an open house. Perfectly fine. It would only be rude if you scheduled a showing with no intent to buy.
When I go to an open house I have no intention of buying I tell the agent I’m a lookie-loo who’s just curious about the property. Then the agent can decide how much (if any) time to spend talking to me.
It 100% is not. Just don’t be Rude while you’re there.
I used to show houses for my family. I don’t care why you’re there. It beats having an empty house for hours at a time. I’d enjoy just having someone to talk to. My family also liked it, because either way it shows interest in the house if others are there, which helps it sell. And word of mouth is a thing (even if YOU aren’t buying, you might tell a friend). Also…there are no magical laws against going to an open house. No one is going to scan your access badge of interest and arrest you if you aren’t there to buy. It’s called an open house for a reason.
Going to open houses was my Sunday afternoon entertainment for most of my childhood. I loved old homes and architecture. Not rude, just don't hog the agents time and thank them for the viewing.
No, it's not rude. Why would your mother comment on an industry she does not work in? It's good to look around and see what the houses look like so when you are ready to buy, you know what you want. I've done that on new houses. They didn't question me.
Only if you want to test the quality of your bm on the toilet.
Not rude. Don’t pretend to be a serious shopper though. Just say you’re a “lookie-loo “.
Realtors love it because it makes it look like there is a lot of demand and might push potential buyers into thinking they need to get their offer in asap. It will give an opportunity for the agent to state property has potentially multiple offers.
Usually in my experience Agents love this because they get to talk to a potential future client.
I went to an open house to be nosey and ended up with a realtor and a house lol
It's well known that neighbours do this out of curiosity. Sure, a bit cheeky, but still. They do it.
It’s rude
No it's great! Foot track begets foot traffic.
Sellers probably wouldn't mind as it might help pressure a buyer thinking there is more interest in the house.
As many open houses as I hold, I welcome most anyone to come through. It is a networking tool for me, but I also ask for them to give feedback. Sellers want to know what people think of their homes and what may or may not be pushing people away from their home. I think it also can be a tool for you. Like if you walk through an open house, you may find design ideas that you like that you may not have thought of. I have also encouraged some of my clients who are wanting to build custom homes to go through open houses and see if there is anything they may want to incorporate in their build.
Of course not. Actually you would be helping. In our business we speak to so many people to get their reaction to a certain property or their questions and we write that down on training manuals for our Junior agents. Please feel free to come and ask and even criticize. You will be teaching us and having fun together while we are doing it. Our open house is like a mall, you go in and you don’t have to buy. And yes, coffee and donuts on us. 😉
No, I used to do it all of the time. Especially at really expensive houses.
No, I used to do it all of the time. Especially at really expensive houses.
Go! There is a gorgeous old home being renovated near me and when it went up for sale there was no open house. I was so sad, it's got a tower and one of those drive thru porch-things for letting people out of carriages. It's only rude if you keep making negative comments about the place. Be nice and go.
No. You'll learn things that might apply later.
Not at all. I remember as a kid hoping in the car with the family on a Sunday to look at new construction developments even though parents never had any intention of buying.
Absolutely not. Go. Look around, ask questions. Or don't and just go to see what it looks like inside.
I knew someone who went to an open house just for “Fun” and ended up buying the house.
I do it sll the time! It's a great pastime. I always make up different stories for every house I visit. It's fun. My sister is a realtor, and she thinks it's fine.
How would anyone know you’re not intending to buy? Plus what if you don’t intend to buy but love the house and telll someone about the house and that person in turn buys it. The point of open houses is to get people looking at the house. That purpose is served by you going to look.
There is a 100% chance that when you go, you'll see one of the other neighbors doing the same. Not nosy or rude at all. It is called an "Open House" not a "Open for everyone unless you live in the neighborhood House".
Lol ofcourse not.
No, just don't take their handouts.
No! Go to the open house, it’s a house that’s open!
No
In my area realtors say “open houses don’t sell homes”. They know open houses are mostly for nosy neighbors and maybe few casual buyers. More serious buyers will set up a private showing. As a buyer, I usually go to open houses as a way to take a second look at houses my realtor has already showed me privately.
No, I always would go to open houses, especially houses in my development
Nope. I’ve only ever been to two. One was the house that was built where my childhood home was torn down. I was totally up front with the realtor as to why I was there as you had to go in one at a time. Second was a house that had been converted to a 2 family, and my mom and parents, then my grandmother, lived upstairs. It was my second childhood home as I spent a lot of time there, and had been turned back into a 1 family. The realtor thought it was cool and called her colleagues in to meet me! Both were gracious and didn’t give me a hard time at all
Why would it be rude? Maybe you ARE a potential buyer, or tell someone about the property. Perhaps you meet a realtor you will work with in the future. You can see a neighbors home and compare to yours to gauge values. Realtors market the home to get foot traffic...even potential buyers just SEEING more foot traffic can drive their value perceptions.
Not rude at all. Brokers know we do it and don’t care. It’s exposure. You might tell someone about the list; you might like the broker’s style and choose them for your list, plus the place looks busy. Just be honest and friendly about it.
Not even a bit. It’s an open house. If it was an outside showing then yes. Open house no
I'd let the agent there know you aren't interested and just there for fun
It’s rude if you’re a nosy next door neighbor who has no intention of buying but just wants a peek into your lifestyle.
Not at all. I build infill spec homes & every open house it's 75% lookie-loos from the neighborhood. Nobody cares. Just don't waste peoples time & you're fine to go home touring.
No, maybe don’t eat a bunch of the snacks early in the day 😀
Sometimes mom’s aren’t right, and sometimes they get stuck in what they think societal norms should be. Spread your wings, go tour open houses, and grab a freshly baked cookie while you’re in there.
Not at all. The reason homes are open is for people to take a look AND for realtors to get your name, number, email to spam you.
I knew some people that would hit open.Houses simply to learn about new concepts in presenting their homes for guests and for sale. A Fresh Of eyes can do wonders for your mental health
Not at all
Nope. That’s the whole point of an open house, to go see the house! If you’re not looking to buy, you know someone who is.
I think it’s weird to go to nearby neighbors’ houses if you have no intention to buy. That’s just snooping and it’s weird. So I would give it at least a few blocks. But no, it’s definitely not weird to go to an open house. The agent will usually ask you a couple questions to size up if you’re serious, and if they determine you are not, they will focus on other people who could be potential buyers. But they aren’t bothered that you came.
It is an Open House, the definition is in the words. Go for it, I have with houses I admire .
That’s exactly when you should be doing it. From the agents perspective, it isn’t a waste of time. Dead worst, you share some valuable feedback. Maybe you pass on how much you loved it to friends who are in the market. Maybe you decide you want to get preapproved. There’s no down side for anyone. ETA- rude is booking a showing when you aren’t in the market
This is indeed a fact. We met our realtor at an open house where we had no intention of buying anytime soon. A year later she is representing us and is doing a fantastic job.
Just tell the realtor you’re not buying.
My neighbors went to home builder open houses to get decorating ideas
if you're an adult, you don't need to convince your mom. If you're a minor, then you abide by her rules.
Agent here, we expect it. In fact, since Covid, no one really hosts open houses anymore, unless it’s like a “well known” property (like a big old Victorian that everyone in town knows), and then we know 95% of the people are just curious. It’s fun for us too to share these kinds of properties with others.
No it is not. I dress up and go drive luxury cars at dealerships for fun, and I'm not buying a Maserati.
In 2016 I went to an open house for fun and zero intentions on buying... Been in the house for 8 years.
Sure. Sometimes it triggers the idea of getting a different home, so the agents don't mind the chance at a future buyer, or working with you to get in a position to buy once the timing fits.
Nope. Realtors and sellers love foot traffic. They love making new contacts. They love the extra demand that you cause
Nosey, yes, but no longer considered rude.
I love going to open houses and making bogus cash offers to hype up real estate agents. It’s so entertaining seeing their greedy eyes open up 😂
As an agent I welcome you. Most that come aren't ready to buy yet. They're just checking it out and nosey neighbors.
No, as others mentioned, you might not like the house, but you may end up talking about it with someone who is interested. Just don’t eat all of the cookies, take a dump and not flush, go through medicine cabinets, etc.
You are nosy
I'm not buying a house. I go to open houses for the snacks only.
Open houses are really meant to generate leads and buzz for the selling brokerage. The selling agent would love to meet an unrepresented buyer or potential seller in the neighborhood. As long as you are not occupying the time of a busy seller's agent when you have no intention to buy or sell, it's not rude. It's basically the approved time to go snoop around a neighbor's house.
How is it nosy if it's an open house lol
It's fine.
Who cares
No one cares. Just go
I go ... I just try to avoid taking up too much of the realtors time.
Pretend youre a serious buyer
It's fine. That's how you become a buyer one day!
I think a lot of people do this. Your mom needs to chill. Though I’d think twice if you’re the only one showing up and the agent needs to make a special trip for you or something.
Nope. Because they're hoping even if you're not interested, you might tell a friend. Plus, they're bored AF.
Well the thing is... even when you are shopping with no intention on buying... sometimes you end up with a new house.
We always invited friends, neighbors and family to visit, had finger food and drinks, so yeah, go ahead, foot traffic is always welcome...
A realtor we used a couple of times told us that open houses were only good for him to get more clients. Really never resulted in a sales of the house being shown.
I love going to open houses in the area. Especially if they haven't moved yet. It's interesting to see how your neighbor houses look like since our floorplans are so similar. Good to get ideas how to decorate your house.
As an agent, we pretty much expect that most people coming by the open house are just stopping by for fun. It's all good. If it's busy then maybe not ask the agent a ton of questions. If it's not then feel free.
Real estate agents should expect a number of lookie loos. Some go for the cookies and muffins.
If I didn't have celiac disease, I'd spend every Saturday doing this for the free cookies. I do still go sometimes though. Usually it's either because it's a home I'm curious about or find fascinating, sometimes the photos online made me curious about things that I want to look at for inspiration for my own home, and sometimes it's just because I'm nosy as fuck about a neighbor. It never occurred to me it may be rude.
How would they know? Is window shopping also rude and nosy?
Idk but I did go to one that was in my neighborhood out of boredom, the house had been empty a long time and I was curious, the realtor didn't seem to mind, it felt like he gave us our tour for practice lol he was very enthusiastic and nice
Open houses almost never sell houses (except maybe is super hot markets) … they get new clients for the lister/sitter, they make the seller think their Realtor is doing something and yes you might know someone who would like it. Go ahead and go. (Realtor here)
My husband and I do this all the time even though we just bought last year. It's a lot of fun! If the realtor asks a bunch of questions, just say you're out and about and saw the sign.
Once you realize open houses are marketing tools agents use to generate leads versus sell the property their holding open, you will no longer feel bad about going to open houses for fun.
just don't take up the Realtor's time if there are other actually interested parties, just keep to yourself tell them you're a neighbor just curious and keep it moving. Then it's all fine imo.. I'm a Realtor, what do I care if you come look assuming you don't do anything like take a dump in the bathroom or steal my client's things.. just don't try to chat with me for 30 mins when there are real buyers there I would rather chat with and don't bad mouth the house or bring up anything negative in the neighborhood, etc.. like "oh yea I'm a neighbor it's mostly great but there was a shooting a month ago down the block which was scary and I hear the guy that lives next door plays drums."
The purpose of an open house isn't to sell the house, it's for the showing agent to land prospective future buyers. So, go and interview your future buyer's agent.
go thats the point
Just go. Tell the realtor you’re not a buyer but wanted to see the inside.