Open House Setup Checklist for Realtors

Confirm the date, public hours, access instructions, parking plan, seller-approved showing rules, property status, and every advertised fact. Review brokerage policy for sign-in, disclosures, photography, security, fair housing, and recordkeeping. Remove stale event details from old posts and links.

Ask the seller to secure medication, mail, financial documents, keys, weapons, valuables, and anything that reveals sensitive personal information. Do not promise security; explain the hosting plan and follow brokerage guidance about occupancy, restricted rooms, cameras, and valuables.

Test the sign-in form on the device visitors will use and on your phone. Confirm the form reaches the correct account or CRM, then prepare a paper fallback. Charge every device, pack the correct cables, and save essential contact numbers where you can reach them without relying on the property's Wi-Fi.

Start outside. Check the approach, address visibility, permitted signs, steps, ice or water hazards, gates, lighting, and the route visitors will actually take. Never place signs where local rules, the property owner, an association, or your brokerage does not allow them.

Inside, turn on agreed lighting, set a comfortable temperature when authorized, open only the window coverings the seller approved, and walk the property as a visitor would. Check doors, trip hazards, pets, alarms, restricted areas, and any condition that changed since the listing information was prepared.

Set one obvious welcome point without blocking the entrance. Put the sign-in device, QR option, property materials, and your backup sheet together. Keep your bag, keys, and personal device controlled rather than spread around the house.

Use the fewest fields your brokerage and follow-up workflow actually require. Long questionnaires create a line and encourage incomplete entries. If you need qualification details, capture them in conversation and record only what is appropriate.

Explain how the information will be used and follow applicable consent and marketing rules. A visitor signing in is not permission for unlimited calls, emails, or texts. Keep a separate path for represented buyers and respect agency relationships.

For busy periods, let visitors scan a QR code on their own phone while the shared device remains available. Keep paper as a true fallback, then protect and transfer that information promptly instead of leaving the sheet visible to the next visitor.

Record objective context that makes follow-up useful: which feature the visitor asked about, what document you promised, whether they requested another showing, their stated timing, and the next action they agreed to. Use short, factual notes.

Do not guess motivation, finances, family status, disability, ethnicity, religion, or other protected or sensitive characteristics. Do not add gossip about the seller or other visitors. If a fact needs confirmation—HOA rules, permits, school boundaries, taxes, measurements, offer status, or included items—mark it for verification rather than improvising.

Share the event location and schedule with the person or system required by your brokerage, keep your phone accessible, and know your exits. Avoid hosting situations that violate company safety policy. If a visitor's behavior feels unsafe, prioritize leaving or getting help over preserving the showing experience.

Do not allow the event to separate you from keys, your phone, or the exit plan. Use a visitor route that fits the property, and follow brokerage guidance for basements, detached buildings, large acreage, vacant homes, and simultaneous groups.

Call emergency services for an immediate threat. For non-emergency concerns, use the brokerage's escalation plan and document the incident while details are fresh.

Walk every permitted room and exterior access point. Follow the seller's written instructions for lights, temperature, windows, doors, alarms, pets, blinds, and keys. Remove signs and materials, collect the paper backup, and report any damage, access issue, or property change promptly.

Before memory fades, clean up the visitor records, attach the correct notes, and create next actions. Separate immediate document promises and requested showings from longer-term nurture. Do not send a generic blast to every person simply because it is fast.

Send the useful item first: the HOA document you promised, an answer you verified, a showing option, or a short comparison based on the visitor's stated criteria. If a detail remains unverified, say when you expect to confirm it.

Give the seller a factual recap: traffic count, recurring property questions, promised follow-up, material issues discovered, and the next review point. Treat individual comments as anecdotes until a pattern is supported by enough consistent feedback and market evidence.

AI can help organize closed-set notes into drafts, but it should not infer buyer intent, invent property facts, or turn casual comments into a pricing conclusion. Review every message and keep client and visitor data inside approved systems.