What should be on an open house checklist? Five stages: the week before, the day before, setup on the day, the open house itself and closing up. Add a follow-up within 24 hours. Our free printable covers every step, and a feedback form collects what visitors think of the home and the price.
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All four files are US Letter. Print the PDFs as they are, or change any line in the Word files, add your logo and save your own version.
We make TINTY, an AI virtual staging app for real estate agents, and we built this checklist for agents who host open houses. Notes on safety, consent and fair housing are general information, not legal advice.
Checklist and form made November 10, 2026. Sources checked November 10, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Five stages: the week before, the day before, setup on the day, the open house itself and closing up. The follow-up happens within 24 hours.
- Why it matters: 49% of buyers used open houses in their home search, per the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
- Safety first: an open house is where agents most often felt unsafe (34%), so host with a buddy or set hourly check-ins.
- Feedback form: ask about the price, the first impression and what to change, never about who the visitor is.
On this page: What’s in it · Before · Setup · During · Closing up · Feedback form · Seller checklist · Photos · FAQ
What’s in the free open house checklist
The checklist follows the order you work in, from the week before to the seller report. Each line is a box to tick, so you can hand it to a new agent or an assistant.
- Page 1: the week before, the day before and setup on the day, with lines for the address, the date and your buddy’s name.
- Page 2: during the open house, closing up and the follow-up, with a short safety box.
- Feedback form, page 1: a visitor form with eight quick questions and an optional contact block.
- Feedback form, page 2: a broker open house form for agents who tour the home.
Open houses still matter in the search. In NAR’s 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, 49% of buyers used open houses as an information source. And 58% of sellers who used an agent said the agent marketed their home with an open house.
They rarely sell a home on their own, though. Only 4% of buyers found the home they bought through a yard sign or an open house sign (our reading of the same report). So treat each open house as marketing with three jobs: show the home, collect feedback and meet buyers.
Before the open house: the week before and the day before
Most of the work happens before the day.
The week before the open house
Tick these off with a week to go:
- MLS: enter the date and time, so the open house reaches the portals. HousingWire’s open house guide says that without it, “you’re seriously limiting the exposure.”
- Seller: confirm the date and time in writing, and agree on where they’ll be.
- Photos: pick the lead photo and check that every room in the listing looks its best. Empty rooms can be virtually staged, with a label.
- Invites: post the date on social media and email your list.
- Neighbors: invite them to a preview hour. They may know a buyer, or sell later.
- Signs: check your town’s and HOA’s rules for directional signs.
- Buddy: book a colleague to host with you, or set up hourly check-ins with your office.
Our guide to open house ideas has more ways to promote the date.
The day before
The night before is for prints, packing and the seller:
- Print: flyers, feature cards, the open house sign-in sheet and the feedback forms.
- Pack: signs, pens, a clipboard, tape, bottled water and a phone charger.
- Seller prep: remind the seller to lock away or remove valuables and medications. NAR’s staging guide says to pack away “photos, toiletries, medicines, firearms and valuables.”
- Pets: ask the seller to take pets out for the afternoon (our tip).
- Weather: check the forecast, and bring a mat and shoe covers if rain is likely (our tip).
Open house day: setup checklist
Arrive early enough to walk the whole home before the first visitor. Forty-five minutes is a good start (our tip).
- Exits: walk every room, find several ways out and leave the deadbolts open. That’s straight from NAR’s tips for a safe open house.
- Phone: check your signal and save emergency numbers, also per NAR.
- Neighbor: tell one neighbor you’re hosting and ask them to keep an eye out (NAR).
- Light: turn on every light, open the blinds and set a comfortable temperature.
- Smell and sound: take out the trash, air the rooms and turn off TVs.
- Signs: put out the directional signs and the open house sign.
- Station: set the sign-in sheet, flyers and feedback forms near the door.
How long to stay open varies. Redfin’s guide says most open houses run two to four hours, while a HousingWire contributor limits each one to an hour, so visitors overlap. Pick what fits the street and the season.
During the open house
While the doors are open, work through these:
- Greet everyone: say hello at the door and ask each visitor to sign in. NAR’s safety tips ask for every visitor’s name and contact details.
- Same rules for all: ask every visitor the same questions and offer the same materials. Fair housing law covers how you treat people, not only what you write.
- Walk behind: let visitors lead and direct them from behind (NAR). Avoid attics, basements and small rooms where you could get trapped.
- Hand out the form: offer the feedback form as people leave, with a pen and a clipboard.
- Take notes: write down questions you couldn’t answer, so you can follow up.
- Buyer agreements: visitors touring on their own don’t need to sign one. NAR’s consumer guide says that if you’re “simply visiting an open house on your own,” you don’t.
Closing up and the follow-up
The open house ends when the door is locked and the seller has the report.
- Check every room and the yard before you lock up. NAR’s tips warn not to assume everyone has left.
- Lock up: doors and windows, then lights and the thermostat back to the seller’s settings.
- Collect: signs, every sign-in sheet and every feedback form. They hold personal details, so keep them safe.
- Same day: thank the visitors who agreed to hear from you. Our real estate email templates include emails for open house visitors and neighbors.
- Within 24 hours: send the seller a short report: number of visitors, what they liked, what worried them and their price comments.
- Within a week: answer the open questions and send matches to buyers who asked.
Rule: marketing emails need your postal address and a working opt-out under the FTC’s CAN-SPAM rules. Marketing texts sent with an autodialer need signed written consent, so a checked box on a form isn’t enough.
Open house feedback form: what to ask
A feedback form turns “they seemed to like it” into something you can show the seller. Keep it short, so people fill it in on the way out.
The visitor form asks eight questions:
- How did you hear about this open house?
- What do you think of the price: too high, about right or good value?
- Your first impression, from 1 to 5.
- What did you like most?
- What would you change, or what worries you?
- Could this home work for you: yes, maybe or no?
- Are you working with an agent?
- When do you hope to move?
Contact details are optional, with separate boxes for “OK to email” and “OK to call.” Anonymous answers are fine, and often more honest about the price.
Broker open house feedback
Agents who tour the home before it opens to the public give sharper price feedback. Page 2 of the form asks them for a price range, the first fix a buyer would want, the best feature and the biggest objection. It also asks whether they’d show the home, and to which buyers by price range, not by who they are.
Put the answers in your seller report next to the visitor comments. If several people call the price high, you have evidence for the price talk.
The seller’s open house checklist
Give the seller their own short list a few days before. They can tick it off the night before:
- Clear surfaces: counters, tables and the bathroom vanity.
- Lock away: valuables, medications, firearms and personal papers.
- Clean: floors, mirrors and the entry, plus the trash out.
- Light and air: blinds open, lights on, a comfortable temperature.
- Pets and people: everyone out for the open house, pets included.
Sellers who need a full plan can use our checklist on how to get a house ready to sell, with its own printable.
Listing photos before the open house
Most visitors see the photos before they see the house. Photos topped the list of website features buyers rated very useful (83%) in NAR’s 2025 report, so check them before you promote the date.
Empty rooms photograph as bare boxes, and buyers find it hard to judge the size. In NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Staging, 83% of buyers’ agents said staging made it easier for buyers to picture the home as their future home. The living room mattered most (37% called it very important), then the primary bedroom (34%).
Empty rooms: TINTY stages a photo of an empty room in about a minute. It stages living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and home offices, but not kitchens, bathrooms or exteriors.
Lived-in rooms: TINTY can first remove the furniture, then stage the empty room.
Stage a room photo free with TINTY. The 6 free staged photos carry a light watermark and need no card, so use them to test the look, not on the MLS. Plans start at $9 a month for 10 staged photos on TINTY’s pricing page. These are launch prices, so they may change.
Open house checklist FAQ
What should be on an open house checklist?
The week before: MLS entry, photos, invites and a buddy. The day before: prints, signs and seller prep. On the day: exits, signal, lights and the sign-in station, then sign-in, feedback and safety during the open house. Close by checking every room and the yard, and send the seller a report within 24 hours.
What questions go on an open house feedback form?
Ask how the visitor heard about it, what they think of the price and their first impression from 1 to 5. Then ask what they liked, what worries them, whether the home could work, whether they have an agent and their timeline. Keep contact details optional, and never ask about who they are.
How early should you arrive for an open house?
Early enough to walk every room, find the exits, open the deadbolts and set up. About 45 minutes works for most homes (our tip).
How long should an open house last?
Redfin’s guide says most run two to four hours. Some agents keep theirs to one hour, so visitors overlap and the home feels busy. Weekends are the usual choice, Sundays most of all, per Redfin.
Do open house visitors need to sign a buyer agreement?
Not to look around on their own. NAR’s consumer guide says a written buyer agreement isn’t needed if you’re “simply visiting an open house on your own.” Once a buyer starts working with an agent, the agreement comes before any tour.
What do you need to bring to an open house?
Signs, the sign-in sheet, feedback forms, flyers, pens, a clipboard, tape, water and a charged phone. Our free checklist lists them on page 1.
How we researched this
We built the checklist from NAR’s safety tips, its 2024 Member Safety report and its consumer guide to open houses. We also used our own guide to open house ideas.
Visitor numbers come from NAR’s 2025 Generational Trends report and the 2025 Profile of Home Staging. Lines marked “our tip” are our suggestions. We checked every source on November 10, 2026.
Sources
Show 12 sourcesHide sources
- NAR 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends (PDF) (April 2025; Exhibits 3-2, 3-4, 3-6 and 7-8)
- NAR 2024 Member Safety Residential Report (PDF) (September 2024; pages 6 and 12)
- NAR: 10 Tips for Holding a Safe Open House (May 24, 2012; NAR notes it may not be current)
- NAR: Consumer Guide to Open Houses and Written Agreements
- NAR: Consumer Guide, Staging Your House for a Sale
- NAR 2025 Profile of Home Staging (PDF) (May 2025)
- Redfin: Real Estate Open House Ideas (August 26, 2025)
- HousingWire: 22 creative open house ideas (updated August 27, 2025)
- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide
- 24 CFR §100.75: discriminatory advertisements and statements
- tinty.ai · TINTY pricing (launch pricing)
- Open house ideas · Open house sign-in sheet · Real estate email templates · How to get your house ready to sell · Is virtual staging legal?
