Open homes typically run for a set window of time, often twenty to thirty minutes, during which your agent welcomes buyers, answers questions, and gathers contact details for follow-up. It is generally best for sellers to be absent during this time, since buyers tend to speak more openly and inspect more thoroughly without the owner present.
Expect a mix of genuinely interested buyers, early-stage researchers who are not yet ready to act, and occasionally neighbours or curious locals attending out of interest in the local market rather than genuine buying intent. Your agent should be able to give you a realistic read on which attendees fall into each category based on their questions and behaviour.
Feedback after each open home can vary considerably in usefulness, ranging from specific and actionable comments about price or presentation through to vague impressions that are harder to act on. Ask your agent to press attendees for specific feedback where possible, since general comments like simply browsing are less helpful for adjusting your strategy.
Private inspections, arranged outside standard open home times, are often attended by more serious buyers who are further along in their decision-making process. These appointments can sometimes lead to a quicker offer than general open home traffic, so treat requests for private viewings as a positive sign of genuine interest.
Over the course of a campaign, patterns in attendance and feedback should emerge, helping you and your agent judge whether your pricing and presentation are working as intended. Consistent feedback about a specific issue, repeated across multiple open homes, is usually worth acting on rather than dismissing as one-off opinions.
Happy to talk it through — no pressure, no sales pitch.