Why Realtors Prefer Open Houses on Sunday Afternoons

Do you know why Realtors prefer open houses on Sunday afternoons? Many Realtors who take new listings put them on the market on a Thursday afternoon. This gives us a few days to market the Sunday open house to ensure a high number of visitors on a Sunday. I signed a new listing today in Natomas and met our photographer there. Our plan is to roll the property out on Thursday and enter it into MLS that day. I have ordered a Coming Soon sign, which will also promote it, and I will market the open house online in several places.

Years ago, when I worked for a company in Sierra Oaks office in 1998, we held open houses on Sundays from 2-5 PM or Saturday 1-4 PM. Back then, Realtors thought that was too long and everyone started doing Sundays 2-4 PM and Saturdays 1-3 PM. This trend caught on and the new times took root.

What I noticed at opens on Sundays at 4 PM, often the visitors are still coming. We see many Sacramento Realtors locking up, telling people the open house was closed. I thought this was an odd practice as aren’t we there to have people come? I decided that as long as visitors were still coming, I would stay. Much of the time, the bulk of traffic came at 3 PM and after. Realtors prefer open houses on Sunday afternoons because it is the busiest day of the weekend.

Like my partner Elizabeth Weintraub says: “Sunday open houses is a religious experience of California.”

It takes a lot of preparation to complete the planning and advertisement for a well attended open house. Pulling comparable sales in the area and preprinting flyers so we can deliver them to the neighborhood the morning of the open is a great practice. Likewise, putting out an open house sign rider stating day and time early in the week so people see it beforehand and come back on Sunday.

Sending open house marketing to agents who have sold or listed in the area is a great way to increase traffic, because they tell their buyers about it. Social media posts are very effective to increase traffic. Also, setting out all the open house signs from busy streets to easily direct people.

These are just a few ways you can ensure great traffic, we have more but I am running out of time. The thing is Realtors prefer open houses on Sundays; even though it may be a lot of work to prepare for, but we want the highest traffic and best opportunity.

If you would like to have a very busy, well promoted open house, please call the Weintraub & Wallace team 916-233-6759.

— JaCi Wallace