Open House Rules for Other Agents

Can i attend another realtors open house to look for prospective buyers? Seems unethical but please let me know.

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#1 Awarded – Best Answer

Hell to the No. lol. Only 1 out of 10 Open Houses sell the house to an open house visitor. Most sellers don't know this but realtors mainly use open houses solely to get New Buyers just like yourself.

1/3 of open house visitors are nosy neighbors
1/3 have a realtor
1/3 have no realtor. These are the reason for open houses.

If you want new buyers, go do your own open houses. Buyers with no realtor will walk right in your door. Best ever.

PS. It doesn't have to be...

Hell to the No. lol. Only 1 out of 10 Open Houses sell the house to an open house visitor. Most sellers don't know this but realtors mainly use open houses solely to get New Buyers just like yourself.

1/3 of open house visitors are nosy neighbors
1/3 have a realtor
1/3 have no realtor. These are the reason for open houses.

If you want new buyers, go do your own open houses. Buyers with no realtor will walk right in your door. Best ever.

PS. It doesn't have to be your listing or even your broker. Ask agents if you can do an open house at their listing. Many won't mind. Many will be grateful. Some brokerages don't allow it.

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Christine Green
Bronze
3 years ago

Oh Nooo! Not good for many reasons.
Unethical to try engage with potential buyers at an open house that you are attending. The potential buyers that walk in without an agent should speak with the host only.
First, the host is making the effort to gain new customers and possibly help sell the home.
Secondly, the host may not be the listing agent but still represents the seller. You could possibly say something to customer that would be unfavorable about property and would not be fai...

Oh Nooo! Not good for many reasons.
Unethical to try engage with potential buyers at an open house that you are attending. The potential buyers that walk in without an agent should speak with the host only.
First, the host is making the effort to gain new customers and possibly help sell the home.
Secondly, the host may not be the listing agent but still represents the seller. You could possibly say something to customer that would be unfavorable about property and would not be fair to seller. In addition, you don't want to make enemies with other agents hosting the open houses.
With that said, there is nothing wrong with visiting an open house. I will go often for my buyers or with my buyers, but always respect the host, listing agent and seller.

Kimla Mouton-Pihlaskari
Bronze
3 years ago
You can always ask a listing agent if he or she would like you to host an open house in your local or preferred area. Many times Realtor’s are happy to have another agents help. Best Wishes!
Vhara Salvadori
Bronze
3 years ago

No don't do it! As well as being unethical, you'll not earn a good name in Real Estate amongst your Rel Estate peers if you did that (and which may even impact your future clients' interests in a future transaction). By all means go to as many open houses you can to get/continue to be familiar with properties in and around your own local area market, however potential buyers visiting another agent's OH are not open to your solicitation. If they contact you separately that's another matter but...

No don't do it! As well as being unethical, you'll not earn a good name in Real Estate amongst your Rel Estate peers if you did that (and which may even impact your future clients' interests in a future transaction). By all means go to as many open houses you can to get/continue to be familiar with properties in and around your own local area market, however potential buyers visiting another agent's OH are not open to your solicitation. If they contact you separately that's another matter but you really shouldn't even consider trying to find potential clients at another Agent's OH.

Gabriela DeLaTorre
Silver
3 years ago
You can always ask the listing agent if she or he would like you to host an open house and many times they are open to that. Hope this helps!
Susy Chang-Torres
Bronze
3 years ago
No you cannot "attend another realtors open house TO LOOK FOR PROSPECTIVE BUYERS." You can go and see how things are done and talk to other REALTORS, but you should not talk to anyone else besides licensed agents. Please note other responses that say "yes" only in reference to you representing your own client, not in search for new prospects. Reference "CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®" Article 16
source:
Reference \"CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF PRACTICE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®\" Article 16
Penny Clissold
White Gold
3 years ago
You can visit but you can NOT solicit the buyers. That is rude and Very unprofessional. The buyers are for the agent that is doing the open house. Plus it’s not fair to the sellers or the buyers coming through. If any one tried to pull that on me I would immediately ask them to leave and report them to their broker.
Melissa Sanders
Bronze
3 years ago

No. Anyone attending another Realtors open house to "hang around" looking for buyers isn't the way. If you are viewing for your CLIENT(S), yes. When agents host their listing they have first dibs at whomever is not represented at that open. There is a good chance they may not prefer that listing but open to look at other homes and that is how we win. I have literally had that happen multiple times hosting my clients listing. The unrepresented buyer at that time didn't like the home, but I sold t...

No. Anyone attending another Realtors open house to "hang around" looking for buyers isn't the way. If you are viewing for your CLIENT(S), yes. When agents host their listing they have first dibs at whomever is not represented at that open. There is a good chance they may not prefer that listing but open to look at other homes and that is how we win. I have literally had that happen multiple times hosting my clients listing. The unrepresented buyer at that time didn't like the home, but I sold them something else that fit their needs. I suggest looking within your brokerage and finding a "fresh" listing and ask if you can host the home. It's a lot of work, but worth it!

Carolina Barbieri
Bronze
3 years ago
Una casa abierta bien como su nombre lo indica está abierta para todos.Es una buena alternativa para escuchar a las personas y agentes que asisten y entablar relaciones tanto con colegas como con posibles clientes.
Shantel Landry
Bronze
3 years ago
Absolutely! I welcome the opportunity if everyone is in agreement. Promotes successful opportunities: marketing, potential buyers/leads, exposure, build new connections within the industry and perhaps working a different market area and price point. Bring a client for the home you're hosting. Go for it!
Lionel Mosby Jr
Silver
3 years ago

If you are attending for the sole purpose of interacting with buyers who come to the open house, then no. If you work long enough, you will find yourself running into agents again and again. This is a relationship business and so it is best to be respectful and cordial with other agents. You can easily hold an open house yourself and secure buyers. You don't just have to host open houses for agents in your own brokerage. You can call other agents to hold their home open as well. Make sure the ho...

If you are attending for the sole purpose of interacting with buyers who come to the open house, then no. If you work long enough, you will find yourself running into agents again and again. This is a relationship business and so it is best to be respectful and cordial with other agents. You can easily hold an open house yourself and secure buyers. You don't just have to host open houses for agents in your own brokerage. You can call other agents to hold their home open as well. Make sure the house you hold open is priced well and hasn't been on the market too long. If it has sat for a while, look for homes that have been recently reduced. Hope this helps! God Bless!

Brenda Cheney
Bronze
3 years ago
Definitely not! Very unethical.
A "better idea" is to see if any agents at your brokerage firm would like you to do an "open house" for one of their listings.
Diane Mireles
Bronze
3 years ago
If you mean to try and procure a buyer, that is an interesting question. I personally would say it is in appropriate and could be an ethical violation as in crossing a line and of course remember "do unto others as you would havr them do unto you". The prequel to our code of ethics.
Wanda Simons
Bronze
3 years ago
While there isn't a regulation against it that i am aware of, it would certainly put an agent in bad standing with the agent hosting the open house and EVERYONE they decide to tell about it. Sort-of like putting your sign in the yard of someone else's listing - which IS against regulations of course - so that potential buyers call you instead of the listing agent. :-) Hope that helps!
Dinah Wicker
Bronze
3 years ago
If you are looking for your clients that would be fine. If you are going to try and snag a potential buyer for yourself that would be unethical. Open houses are allot of work for a listing agent and those rewards should be the host’s. ????
Angela Chaney
Bronze
3 years ago

Yes, it is okay for you to attend an open house for your clients! I see a lot of listings not allowing showings until after open houses. All you are trying to do is serve your clients and make sure they see the home they are interested in. This is not unethical, it is your job. I usually let the Realtor there know that I am a Realtor and I am touring for a client. This allows them to focus on other buyers that may not be represented. Don't be afraid to ask questions, this is a perfect opport...

Yes, it is okay for you to attend an open house for your clients! I see a lot of listings not allowing showings until after open houses. All you are trying to do is serve your clients and make sure they see the home they are interested in. This is not unethical, it is your job. I usually let the Realtor there know that I am a Realtor and I am touring for a client. This allows them to focus on other buyers that may not be represented. Don't be afraid to ask questions, this is a perfect opportunity for you to learn more about the home like special features you may not have noticed or seen on the ad.

Antonio Lechuga
Silver
3 years ago

Don’t do that. It borders on being unethical. You can visit the open house but do not interact with the other realtors potential clients.
It’s okay to preview a home during an open house for your clients but you should let the hosting agent know who you are and that you are a fellow agent. Most agents would love to have you preview their listing. Make sure you give the hosting agent one of your business cards.

You should try hosting your own open house. If you currently do not have a...

Don’t do that. It borders on being unethical. You can visit the open house but do not interact with the other realtors potential clients.
It’s okay to preview a home during an open house for your clients but you should let the hosting agent know who you are and that you are a fellow agent. Most agents would love to have you preview their listing. Make sure you give the hosting agent one of your business cards.

You should try hosting your own open house. If you currently do not have any listings, you could offer to host an open house for a fellow agent within your brokerage.

Sokunthea Im
Bronze
3 years ago
It is a good opportunity so you can stay up-to-date with market trends, and also benefit you as an agent on how to hold one and deal with the prospective buyers. You may be lucky to meet a buyer there that may need help rather than a listing agent, because sometimes buyers do not like intermediary representation as it is not exclusively. Good luck!
Tracie Benton
White Gold
3 years ago
Yes! Absolutely! Not only should you be attending open houses for your buyer, you can also attend to stay current on market trends and to get a good idea on how listing agents market the property.
Disclaimer: Answers provided are just opinions and should not be accepted as advice.

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