What should I do at a FSBO open house?

An open house is one of the highest-leverage marketing events you have as a FSBO seller. Done right, it concentrates buyer interest into a defined window, creates a sense of urgency and competition, and gives you real-time feedback about how the market is responding to your home and your price. Done wrong, it's two hours of awkward conversations that lead nowhere.

Prepare the home the day before. Don't leave preparation for the morning of. You'll be rushed, stressed, and something will be overlooked. The day before, complete all cleaning, staging, and decluttering. The morning of the open house, you're doing final touches: fresh flowers if you like them, windows open if the weather allows, lighting set correctly, temperature comfortable. If you bake something that morning, the smell genuinely helps. It makes buyers feel at home in the space.

Market it the week before. Post on Zillow, Redfin, your MLS listing if you have one, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and any local FSBO Facebook groups in your area. Put up directional signs the morning of the open house if your neighborhood allows it. Open houses that nobody knows about accomplish nothing.

Set up a sign-in sheet at the entrance. Every person who walks through your door should sign in with their name and contact information, and ideally note whether they're working with an agent and their general timeline. This gives you leads to follow up with afterward and a record of who was in your home. The Open House Sign-In Script in the JoeFSBO toolkit has a format for this that doesn't feel intrusive to visitors.

Have a property information sheet ready. Print 15 to 20 copies of a one-page document covering the basic specs of the home, square footage, bed and bath count, lot size, year built, recent updates, key nearby features, and your contact information. Give one to every visitor. This keeps your home in their mind after they leave and gives them something to compare against other homes they're seeing that day.

Stay present but not hovering. You want to be available to answer questions, but following visitors from room to room makes people uncomfortable and prevents them from having honest conversations with whoever they came with. Introduce yourself at the door, point out anything that deserves attention, and then let them explore. Position yourself somewhere central, the kitchen or main living area, so they can find you easily when they have questions.

Listen more than you talk. Visitors will make comments to each other that are valuable market intelligence. You'll hear what they like, what concerns them, and sometimes what they're comparing your home to. If you hear the same objection twice in one afternoon, take it seriously. The market is telling you something.

Follow up within 24 hours. Send a brief professional email to everyone who signed in. Thank them for coming, invite questions, and note that you're accepting offers. Buyers sometimes need a nudge, and a timely follow-up keeps you on their radar while the impression of your home is still fresh.