An open house checklist keeps the small things from turning into big problems: a sign in the wrong spot, a medicine cabinet the seller forgot, a visitor who never hears from you. This open house checklist for agents covers the week before, seller prep, setup, the open house itself, your safety plan, closing up, and the follow-up, with an email you can copy tonight.
The free Open House Lead Kit is one fillable PDF plus one PPTX. The PDF has an open house checklist with clickable checkboxes, sign-in sheets, private sign-in cards, a QR sign-in stand sign with a box for your own QR code, greeting scripts, and follow-up emails. The PPTX has an editable QR sign-in sign and an editable open house flyer.
Open House Must-Haves: What to Bring
Keep a bin in your trunk with all of this so you aren't scrambling every weekend:
- Directional signs and an open house sign
- Sign-in sheets or cards, pens, and a clipboard
- The QR sign-in sign, tested on your phone
- Printed flyers and any disclosures the seller approved for visitors
- Business cards
- Shoe covers (if the seller wants them), paper towels, trash bags, tape
- A charged phone and a backup battery
- Your follow-up email, saved as a draft
Open House Checklist: One Week Before
- Get the seller's written approval for the date and time
- Add the open house to your MLS listing, following MLS rules, and to your listing sites
- Make the flyer and the social post
- Deliver neighbor invites (skip homes with "No Soliciting" signs)
- Check local and HOA rules for directional signs, and get permission before using private property
- Print the sign-in sheet and set up your QR sign-in form
- Write the follow-up email and save it as a draft
- Pick a safety contact, or line up a co-host
- Confirm any brokerage requirements for hosting
Seller Prep Checklist
Send this to your seller a few days ahead. A clean, secured home shows better and protects everyone.
- Deep clean: floors, counters, bathrooms, and windows
- Clear clutter from counters, closets, and entryways
- Put away personal photos, mail, and personal documents
- Lock away or remove valuables, prescription medications, firearms, spare keys, and small electronics
- Mow, sweep the walks, and clear the path to the front door
- Replace burned-out bulbs
- Plan to be away during the open house, with pets out of the home
- Tell you which rooms or closets are off limits and whether to use shoe covers
The Day Before
- Confirm the time with the seller, and that they'll be out with pets away
- Confirm the seller prep list is done
- Print flyers and any disclosures the seller approved for visitors
- Charge your phone, tablet, and backup battery
- Tell your safety contact the address, start time, and end time
- Check the weather and pack a mat and extra shoe covers if it's wet
Setup: 45 to 60 Minutes Early
- Walk every room, including the garage and basement, and confirm no one is inside
- Place directional signs on the route visitors will drive
- Turn on every light and open blinds
- Set the thermostat to a comfortable temperature
- Clear counters, empty trash cans, and put down a doormat
- Set up the sign-in sheet and QR sign by the entry
- Put flyers on the kitchen counter
- Test the QR form on the house's signal
- Note every exit and where your phone and keys will be
- Text your safety contact that you've arrived
During the Open House
- Greet every visitor the same way, with the same words
- Ask every visitor to sign in before they tour
- Offer the flyer and answer questions about the property
- Let visitors walk ahead of you into rooms
- Note the feedback you hear about price, condition, and layout
- Ask visitors who say they have an agent for that agent's name
- Check in with your safety contact at the agreed times
Fair housing: Treat every visitor the same: same greeting, same sign-in request, same information, same follow-up. Never ask about family, background, religion, or disability, and don't describe who lives in the area. If someone asks about schools or crime, you can share objective, sourced data, such as the district's own reports or police department statistics, as long as every visitor gets the same information and you leave out opinions.
If a visitor asks you to show them other homes, that's a buyer relationship. MLS agents working with a buyer need a signed written agreement before the first tour, in person or live virtual, unless state law says otherwise. It must state your pay as a specific amount or rate and say that fees are not set by law and are fully negotiable. Visitors touring your open house on their own don't need to sign one, and you don't need one to host for your seller.
Compliance: Rules vary by state, MLS, and brokerage. Use your brokerage's approved forms and check with your broker.
Agent Safety
- Your safety contact knows the address, start time, and end time
- Live location is shared with them
- Your car is parked where it can't be blocked in
- Your phone and keys stay on you, not on the counter
- You know every exit and keep one between you and visitors
- You never follow a visitor into a basement, attic, or garage alone
- You have a code word that means "call me now"
- You follow your brokerage's safety policy
Closing Up
- Walk every room and closet to make sure no one is inside
- Lock every door and window you opened
- Reset lights, blinds, and thermostat the way the seller asked
- Gather sign-in sheets, flyers, and your supplies
- Pick up every directional sign
- Return the key to the lockbox
- Leave the seller a short note, and text your safety contact that you've left
Open House Follow Up Email
Send this the same evening to every visitor who gave you an email address. Change the first line for each person if you can.
Hi [First Name],
Thanks for coming by the open house at [Property Address] today. I hope it was helpful to see it in person.
A few things you might want:
- Price: [List Price]
- Property details and photos: [Website]
- Seller disclosures: reply to this email and I'll send what's available
- Recent sales nearby: happy to send a short list if you're comparing
If you'd like to see it again, or have questions about the home or the area's recent sales, just reply here or call me at [Phone].
Thanks again,
[Your Name]
[Brokerage]
[Phone] | [Email]
If you'd rather not get emails from me, reply "unsubscribe" and I'll remove you.
Tip: If a visitor told you they're working with an agent, send a shorter version thanking them for visiting and offering to send anything their agent needs.
The Seller Recap
Sellers want to know how it went before they get home. Send a short text or email that night:
Say this: Thanks for letting me host today. We had [Number] groups through. The comments I heard most were about [Feedback 1] and [Feedback 2]. [Number] visitors asked for follow-up, and I've already sent them the property details. I'll call you [Day] to talk about what this means for pricing and next steps.
Report what visitors said about the home, not who they were. Check your brokerage's policy before sharing any visitor's contact details.
The Next Seven Days
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| That night | Enter every visitor in your CRM and send the email |
| That night | Send the seller a recap with visitor count and feedback |
| Within 2 days | Call visitors who opted in and plan to move soon |
| Day 7 | One short check-in with opted-in visitors who haven't replied |
Our recommended house policy is to text only visitors who checked the consent box. That's our policy, not federal law. Do Not Call rules cover both calls and texts, so unless your broker confirms your signed sign-in form counts as written permission, scrub numbers against the National Registry, your state list, and your internal list before you call. Federal hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the visitor's time zone, and some states are stricter, so 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday, is a safe habit. Log every opt-out and stop right away; federal rules allow no more than 10 business days.
Open House Mistakes to Avoid
- No seller prep call. Medications and keys left on the counter become your problem.
- Signs where they aren't allowed. Check city and HOA rules every time.
- Hosting alone and off the grid. Someone should always know where you are.
- Different treatment at the door. Every visitor gets the same greeting and the same information.
- Skipping the final walk-through. Check every room and closet before you lock up.
- Slow follow-up. Visitors tour several homes in a weekend. Write that night.
A Short Open House Checklist for Buyers
Print this on the back of your flyer or hand it out at the door. Visitors keep it, and it shows you know the process.
- Ask for the seller's disclosures and any HOA documents
- Ask the age of the roof, furnace, AC, and water heater
- Look under sinks and in the basement for signs of water
- Open a few windows and doors to see how they work
- Ask about average utility costs and HOA dues
- Note road or neighbor noise, and plan a second visit at a different time
- Ask before taking photos or video
- If you're working with an agent, tell the host and send your notes to your agent
When to Use It
- Every public open house, printed and kept in your open house bin
- Weekday twilight opens and broker opens
- New-construction sales events where you host
- When training a new agent to host for you
Sources
- NAR, Consumer Guide to Open Houses and Written Agreements
- NAR Settlement FAQs (PDF)
- NAR, Policy Statement 8.13: Written Buyer Agreements
- 24 CFR 100.70, steering and other prohibited practices (eCFR)
- NAR, FAQs on Steering, Crime and Schools (June 2026)
- 47 CFR 64.1200, FCC telemarketing and consent rules (eCFR)
Questions agents ask
What are the must-haves for an open house?
A clean, bright home with valuables secured, clear directional signs, a sign-in sheet or QR sign-in with paper backup, printed flyers with the property facts, and any disclosures your seller has approved for visitors. Add a safety plan with a check-in contact, pens, business cards, shoe covers if the seller wants them, a charged phone, and a follow-up email drafted before you arrive.
What are the common mistakes to avoid at open houses?
Skipping the seller prep call, so valuables and medications are left out. Placing signs where local rules don't allow them. Hosting alone without telling anyone where you are. Greeting visitors differently based on how they look. Forgetting the final walk-through before you lock up. And waiting days to follow up, while visitors tour other homes that same weekend.
Do things get stolen at open houses?
It can happen, which is why seller prep matters. Ask the seller to lock away or remove valuables, prescription medications, firearms, spare keys, mail, personal documents, and small electronics before the open house. Walk every room before and after, keep the sign-in at the entry, and bring a co-host to busy events if you can. Be clear with the seller that you can't watch every room at once.
What is the etiquette for open houses?
Hosts greet every visitor the same way, ask everyone to sign in, let people tour at their own pace, and answer questions about the home honestly. Visitors are expected to sign in, follow the seller's rules on shoes and closed rooms, leave drawers and private items alone, and mention it if they already have an agent. Both sides should treat the home like someone still lives there.
