Open Inspections - The Basics

Opens give potential buyers an opportunity to look at the property and will usually be for between 30 and 45 minutes once a week or fortnight. Some buyers will not make an appointment to view a property not offering open inspections because it requires a greater investment in time and money. Others prefer not to interact with an agent one-on-one for fear of the hard sell.

Your agent will organise the open inspections for you and should take your preferences into consideration, although this may not always be a possibility. If not their normal practice you can ask them to make it a condition of entry that visitors provide their contact details. This will help to secure your property against theft during the open inspection but is no guarantee, so ensure your contents insurance covers opens. If there are any personal items you don’t want people to see, they should be hidden and valuables should be locked away.

In the current market you can expect 4-8 groups per open if your home has been presented and marketed well and is not overpriced compared to the competition. If you have more, congratulations, it means the marketing is on track but if no one makes an offer within 4 weeks, there's a problem with perceived value. If your first couple of opens have few or no visitors, this is another clear indicator your home is not priced or marketed correctly.

Your agent should be on time and stay for the advertised duration. You can expect them to be well presented as your representative in the sale of your home. They are expected to treat your property and visitors with respect. They should not discuss your private information nor conduct other business in your home. You can expect your agent to turn off lights and lock up your home securely.

Your agent will ideally leave you a report detailing the number of groups through your open inspection, how they came across your property, key feedback and suggestions for next time. You can expect your agent to follow up buyers and provide you with further feedback within a few days and give you plenty of notice for your next open inspection.