Open House Checklist Template

What the Open House Checklist Covers

1. 1
   Phase 1 — Two weeks before

   Phase 1: Agree the Date & the Seller’s Instructions

   4 tasks

   The first task sets every due date and decides which tasks appear: a public open house or a broker’s open, and an occupied or a vacant property.

   • Record the listing, the date and who is running the open house — the property, the seller, the date and times, the type of event, whether the property is occupied, and the agent, safety contact and manager
   • Confirm the seller’s instructions in writing — the date and times, rooms or areas that are off limits, parking, and anything visitors must not do
   • Check the date against the local calendar — other open houses nearby, local events, road closures and the seller’s own plans, then fix the times
   • Choose a second person to staff the event — a colleague who stays for the whole open house, so nobody hosts it alone
2. 2
   Phase 2 — From ten days before

   Phase 2: Marketing & Invitations

   6 tasks

   A public open house is marketed to buyers and the neighbourhood. A broker’s open is marketed to other agents, so it gets its own invitation task instead.

   • Add the open house to the listing portals and your website — public open houses only: the date and the start and finish times on the listing, with photos that are current
   • Invite local agents and brokerages — broker’s opens only: through your MLS, office meetings or email, with the date, times and any agent-only details
   • Post the open house on social media — with the date and times, without describing the property as vacant or saying when the owners are away
   • Invite the neighbours — public open houses only: a card or letter to nearby homes, since neighbours may know someone who wants to move to the area
   • Arrange the open house and directional signs — where local rules and any homeowners’ association allow, ready to put out on the day
   • Log enquiries and pre-registrations — name, contact details and whether each person is already working with an agent
3. 3
   Phase 3 — The week before

   Phase 3: Prepare the Property

   8 tasks

   Agree the work with the seller early enough to finish it. The last four tasks depend on whether the property is occupied or vacant, so a run shows two of them.

   • Walk through the property with the seller — agree the cleaning, small repairs and staging, and who does each item by when
   • Check the listing photos still match the property — retake any that show old furniture, a different season or work that has since been finished
   • Finish the cleaning and small repairs — bulbs, dripping taps, sticking doors, windows, paths and the garden
   • Stage the main rooms — clear the surfaces, put away personal photographs and set out each room for its purpose
   • Agree where the occupants and pets will be — occupied homes only: out of the house for the event, with pets away or secured
   • Secure valuables, medicines and personal papers — occupied homes only: keys, jewellery, prescription drugs, mail, laptops and small electronics locked away or taken out
   • Check the utilities, heating and lighting — vacant properties only: power, water and heating on, every bulb working and the alarm code known
   • Inspect the vacant property the day before — vacant properties only: look for damage, leaks or signs of entry, and report anything to the seller
4. 4
   Phase 4 — The week before

   Phase 4: Documents & Handouts

   6 tasks

   • Prepare the feature sheet — rooms, measurements, main features, price and your contact details, checked for accuracy by the seller
   • Have the disclosures your jurisdiction requires ready to read — the disclosure statements or property information visitors may ask for, as your local rules and brokerage require
   • Check every flyer, sign and post against fair housing rules — describe the property, not the kind of person who should live there
   • Prepare the sign-in sheet or app — name, phone, email and whether each visitor has an agent, with a short note on how their details will be used
   • Prepare the feedback form — first impressions, price, condition and what visitors liked least, or agents’ views on price at a broker’s open
   • Pack the open house kit — sign-in sheet, feature sheets, feedback forms, pens, business cards, shoe covers, a phone charger and a torch
5. 5
   Phase 5 — The days before

   Phase 5: Safety Plan

   6 tasks

   Nobody should host an open house without someone else knowing where they are and when to expect a call. Write the plan down and have it reviewed before the day.

   • Write the safety plan for the event — who attends, the check-in times, a code phrase that means you need help, and what the safety contact does if a call is missed
   • Manager reviews the safety plan — approved before the event, or changed until it can be
   • Give the safety contact the address and times — and agree the check-in times and who they call if you do not answer
   • Tell a neighbour about the event — and ask them to look out for anything unusual while it is on
   • Check the phone signal and save the emergency numbers — local emergency services, the safety contact and the office
   • Brief the second person — who greets, who keeps the sign-in, who stays with visitors, and where each of you will be
6. 6
   Phase 6 — On the day

   Phase 6: Run the Open House

   7 tasks

   Every visitor signs in and nobody walks round on their own. If you cannot see everyone, limit how many people are inside at once.

   • Arrive early and walk every room — find at least two ways out and leave the deadbolts unlocked so you can get out quickly
   • Set up the house and the signs — signs out, lights on, rooms aired, and the feature sheets and sign-in at the entrance
   • Greet every visitor and ask them to sign in — name and contact details, and whether they are working with an agent
   • Stay with visitors as they look round — walk behind them, keep to the rooms that are open and never leave anyone on their own
   • Check in with the safety contact at the agreed times — and use the code phrase if you need help
   • Answer questions and note the ones you could not — each one gets an answer in the follow-up
   • Collect feedback before visitors leave — on the form, or in your own notes straight after each conversation
7. 7
   Phase 7 — On the day

   Phase 7: Close Down & Secure the Property

   5 tasks

   • Check every room and the garden before locking up — with the second person, so you know nobody is still inside
   • Lock every door and window — and leave the lights, heating, blinds and alarm as the seller asked
   • Collect the signs — the open house sign and every directional sign
   • Tell the seller the property is locked — and ask them to check the locks and their belongings when they return
   • Safety contact records the final check-in — the agent has left the property, and the safety contact stops waiting for calls
8. 8
   Phase 8 — The days after

   Phase 8: Follow-Up, Report & Next Steps

   5 tasks

   The sign-in sheet is only worth something if every name hears back. Set the follow-up time before the event and keep to it.

   • Follow up every visitor within the time you set — thanks, answers to their questions and an offer of a second viewing
   • Pass every offer and second-viewing request to the seller — promptly and in writing, with the date and any conditions
   • Send the seller a feedback report — visitor numbers, what visitors liked and disliked, comments on price and your recommendation
   • Agree next steps with the seller — keep the current plan, hold another open house, or change the price, presentation or marketing
   • File the sign-in records and update your CRM — keep visitors’ details only as long as your privacy policy allows