Speed Debate

Are Open Homes Still Necessary?

Short answer, yes. Longer answer, not for the reasons most agents give you. The honest version, including the part where a packed open home works in the seller’s favour.

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The objection worth taking seriously

There is a fair criticism of open homes, and it usually sounds like this: isn’t the whole thing just a device to benefit the seller? A buyer walks into a packed inspection, feels the pressure of a room full of competitors, and wonders whether it has all been staged to push the price up.

That is a reasonable thing to think. It is also only half the picture.

What an open home does for the seller

Competition. A packed open home creates it, and competition is the single biggest lever on price.

• More buyers in the room means more potential offers.


• Buyers who see other buyers understand they will have to compete. That shifts behaviour from “I’ll think about it” to “I need to act.”


• Social proof does real work. A home that looks in demand becomes more desirable, and that shows up in the number on the contract.

So we are upfront about it. A well-attended open home is one of the surest ways to get a seller a stronger result, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

What an open home does for the buyer

Open homes help buyers too, and not in a soft, feel-good way.

A private inspection gives you the place to yourself. That feels good. It also gives you a false read on the market. On your own, it is easy to believe there is no competition and no urgency. Then the property sells and you are left wondering what happened.

An open home gives you information. You see who else is interested. You get a real sense of demand. You make a decision based on the actual market instead of a comfortable illusion.

Then there is the practical side. No appointment, no

. Not even sure a home suits you? Walk through, decide in five minutes, and move on.

But is it still necessary?

This is the real question behind the question. Virtual tours, video walkthroughs, and appointment-only campaigns all promise the same thing: sell the home without the crowd.

They have their place. They do not replace the open home, for three reasons.

• Digital inspections strip out the competitive signal. A buyer scrolling a virtual tour has no idea who else is looking, so there is no urgency and no social proof.


• Appointment-only filters out the casual browser. Plenty of buyers who “just popped in” end up buying. Put a booking form in front of them and a chunk of them never come.


• A screen flattens the home. You do not get a feel for it, and you cannot read how it functions: how light moves through the rooms, how the spaces connect, whether the flow works for the way you live. That understanding only comes from standing in it.


• Screens do not sell homes. They shortlist them. The decision, and the emotional commitment that drives a strong offer, still happens in person.

The digital tools earn their keep at the top of the funnel. The open home is where demand turns into competition, and competition turns into price.