How to Get Leads From Open Houses as a New Agent

Find open houses to hold

Ask your broker and the listing agents at your brokerage if you can hold their open houses. Many agents are glad for the help. Offer to hold it, bring your own sign-in and follow up with them on any visitors who need a listing agent.

Only hold an open house with permission from the listing agent and the seller. The listing belongs to the broker, so always check the brokerage's rules first.

Before the day

• Learn the home: price, features, recent nearby sales, schools, taxes and HOA.
• Post the open house online and on local groups.
• Prepare a sign-in sheet or a simple digital sign-in. Ask for name, phone, email and whether they work with an agent.
• Bring a one-page flyer with your contact information and the home details.
• Plan your safety: tell someone where you are, know the exits, and do not be alone at the end.

During the open house

• Greet every visitor and ask them to sign in.
• Ask two easy questions: "Are you neighbors, or looking in the area?" and "What would make a home a yes for you?"
• Treat every visitor the same. Fair housing laws apply to how you speak and whom you serve.
• Do not pressure. Give useful answers and offer to send similar homes.
• Keep the home tidy and stay visible near the entrance.

After, the same day

• Text or call every visitor who agreed. Thank them and ask one question.
• Send homes that match what they told you.
• Put everyone in your CRM with notes about what they said.
• Send the seller and listing agent a short report: visitor count and feedback.

Set your goal

A good first goal is two real conversations that lead to a next step, such as a showing or a call. Track how many visitors turn into appointments over your first ten open houses.

What to bring

• A sign-in sheet or tablet, and pens.
• One-page flyers of the home.
• Water and a phone charger.
• Your business cards.
• A plan for the first call you will make the next morning.

Fair housing basics

Welcome every visitor the same way. Do not steer visitors or make assumptions about who belongs in a neighborhood. HUD explains the Fair Housing Act on its site, and your broker can walk you through the rules.

Mistakes to avoid

• Standing by the door on your phone.
• Not asking visitors whether they already work with an agent.
• Letting the sign-in sheet sit for days.
• Skipping the same-day follow-up.

A before, during and after plan with minutes and records

Most new agents plan the Sunday and forget the week around it. The plan below is an original framework from The Bauer Group. The minutes are suggestions to adjust, not rules. The right column matters most, because records are how you learn whether open houses work for you.

What TREC requires, and what your broker may require

TREC's January 2026 article on buyer representation changed what happens at an open house, and it depends on whose listing it is. If you work for the listing brokerage, you need no IABS and no written buyer agreement at the open house, but you must tell visitors that you represent the owner, orally or in writing. If you are an agent from outside the listing brokerage and you do not represent the seller, TREC says you must provide the IABS and enter a written agreement with prospective buyers before they view the property, even if the visitor already has an agreement with another broker. TREC says that ideally this happens before the visitor enters, and at minimum before they begin viewing. If a buyer will not sign, you cannot show the property.

One caution. TREC's older FAQ page on IABS exceptions still says an open house conversation about the same property does not need the statement. The two pages were written at different times, so ask your broker which one they apply and have the answer in writing. TREC also says brokers may set their own policies on whether agents from other brokerages can host open houses.

On signs and ads, TREC treats signs and social posts as advertising. If your name or team name is shown, the broker's name must be shown at least half the size. TREC says it does not regulate where you put a sign, but you must follow local rules, and sign ordinances commonly bar signs on utility poles, traffic signal boxes and road medians. Breaking a city ordinance can lead to TREC discipline and local enforcement too.

• Ask your broker: Do I need written permission from the seller and listing agent on a brokerage form?
• Ask: Which version of the IABS and buyer agreement rules do you want me to follow at an open house?
• Ask: Am I allowed to hold open houses on listings from other brokerages, and may other brokerages' agents attend as visitors?
• Ask: Who approves my open house signs, flyers and social posts before they go out?
• Ask: Who pays for any signs, and who owns the leads I gather?

Safety and logistics when you hold one alone

NAR's open house page says open houses carry a low risk of violent crime compared with showings, but a higher risk of theft. It also says the end of an open house is potentially the most dangerous time, so agents should not be alone when wrapping up. These points come from NAR:

• Have owners remove or secure valuables, prescription drugs and papers such as checkbooks, and move pets if needed.
• Photograph every room before visitors arrive so you can spot missing or moved items.
• Limit how many people are inside at once.
• Ask visitors to show some form of ID.
• Do not give out garage or door codes.
• Work with a partner and check in with your office.
• At closing time, talk to someone on the phone while you check the house.

Our own suggestions for the logistics NAR does not cover

These are our suggestions, not rules. Park where your car can leave without being blocked. Tell the buddy your exact address and your end time. Keep your phone charged and in your pocket, not on the counter. Greet at the door but do not stand in it. If a visitor makes you uneasy, you can close the open house. No lead is worth it.

How to tell if open houses are worth your hours

Count every hour, not just the Sunday. Add prep, travel, the event and follow-up. Then compare after ten events, not after one. This is an original framework from The Bauer Group.

The number that matters is hours per real next step. Divide your total hours by the number of visitors who agreed to a call, a showing or a lender introduction. Run the same math on other uses of your hours, such as calling your sphere. Whichever has fewer hours per next step is earning its place. See where real estate leads come from for the other sources.

Check before you rely on this

This guide reflects the sources named below, read in early October 2026. Fees, rules, forms and market numbers change, and some details here may already be out of date.

Confirm anything that affects your money, your license or a contract with the source itself, such as TREC, the National Association of Realtors, your local association or your sponsoring broker. If something looks different from what you find, trust the source and let us know. This guide is general information for licensed agents and people becoming agents. It is not legal, tax or financial advice.