Broker Open House: What It Is and What to Ask the Agents Who Come

What a broker open house is

A broker open house, also called a broker open or brokers’ open, is an open house for other real estate agents instead of buyers. The listing agent invites local agents to see the home, usually early in the listing, so they know it exists and can tell their clients about it.

It is also one of the cheapest ways to find out what the market thinks. Agents see a lot of homes. They are blunt about price and condition in a way that buyers often are not. That is the part most listing agents under-use, and it is what the rest of this page is about.

Why hold one

• To get the listing in front of agents who have buyers. Agents often know a client who is looking before the listing reaches the public.
• To test the price. Agents can compare your price with homes they know. Ask them.
• To hear objections early. If three agents mention the same problem, you have time to deal with it before the public open house.
• To give the seller something to show for the first week. A short summary of what agents said is a good update.

How to run one

Invite agents by email or through your brokerage’s channels, and say what is on offer, whether that is a lunch, coffee or just a first look. Weekdays are usually easier for agents than weekends, since they are not out with clients. Check with your broker about any rules on how you advertise it.

Keep a sign-in sheet so you know who came, using the same approach as for a public open house. There is a guide to what goes on an open house sign-in sheet. For a broker open you can drop the buyer-qualifying questions and ask for their brokerage instead.

What to ask the agents who come

Do not ask for a general opinion. Ask short, specific questions that you can compare across agents. These are the ones I would use:

1. Overall, how would you rate this listing, from 1 (poor) to 5 (great)?
2. Compared with similar homes you know, is the price above, in line or below?
3. What is the biggest drawback?
4. Would you show this home to a client?
5. Do you have a client who could be a fit?
6. What would help you sell this listing?
7. Any other comments?

Agents will not want to fill in a long form while standing in someone’s kitchen. Seven short questions on one page, or on their phone, is about the limit. The free open house feedback form maker has this set built in. Switch the type to “Broker open” and it prints a one-page form. It can also add a QR code, so agents can answer on their phone on the way out.

What to do with the answers

Look for patterns, not single comments. One agent who dislikes the layout tells you very little. If four of six say the price is above similar homes, that is something you can put in front of the seller.

Write it up in a few lines. For example (example only): “Eight agents came. Five said the price is above similar homes, two said in line, and nobody said below. Three would show it to a client. The most common drawback was the kitchen.” Then say what you suggest doing next. You can also paste the answers into an AI assistant and ask for the themes. How to use AI as a real estate agent covers that and what to check before you send anything.

Broker open or public open house

They do different jobs. The broker open is for agents, early, and mostly about reach and price feedback. The public open house is for buyers and mostly about finding the few who are really interested. Many listing agents do both, in that order. Feedback from each is useful, so collect it both times and keep the two sets separate.

If you would rather not collect and summarize it by hand, Viewing Feedback gives each listing its own feedback link and QR code and builds a seller report from the answers. It was built first for UK estate agents, so some of the wording in the product says “viewing” and “vendor”. It works the same way for open houses.