What Is the Etiquette for an Open House?

Before you arrive at the open house

• Confirm the open house is still on — some are cancelled if a firm offer comes in that morning. Check the listing on our MLS® search or the brokerage’s website.
• Bring photo ID if requested in the listing notes — luxury homes and downtown condos often require it.
• If you’re working with a buyer-agent, mention them when you sign in. This isn’t pickiness — it protects your representation if you decide to make an offer.
• Wear easy-on, easy-off footwear — you’ll be removing shoes most of the time, and a long line at the front door is awkward when you’re wrestling with boots.
• Skip the food court before you go. Open houses don’t want eaters, and you don’t want to be focusing on a stomach issue while you’re trying to assess a $1.2M purchase.

The five rules for inside the home

1. Remove your shoes if requested — even if it isn’t requested, look at what other visitors are doing. Ontario homes are almost always shoes-off.
2. Don’t open closed doors, drawers, or cabinets without asking. Closets and the master bath are usually fine; refrigerators, jewellery boxes, medicine cabinets, and locked storage rooms are not.
3. Take photos only with permission — and never of personal items, family photos still on the wall, or anything that identifies the seller.
4. Don’t use the bathroom unless explicitly invited. Most listings prefer you don’t — sellers know what bathroom traffic does to a freshly staged home, and asking puts the agent in an awkward position.
5. Keep critical comments private until you’re back in your car. “The basement smells like cat” is a true and useful observation; you can write it down later.

How to talk to the listing agent without giving up your hand

It is entirely fine to ask substantive questions — days on market, why the seller is moving, the age of the roof and furnace, what’s included in the sale, whether there’s a current home inspection on file, and what the seller’s preferred closing date is. These are all questions a listing agent expects and is happy to answer.

What’s less wise is volunteering your offer strategy: your maximum number, your timeline pressure, your competing search, your financing status. The listing agent represents the seller, not you, and assume anything you tell them will be relayed within the hour. If you want a more frank conversation, send your buyer-agent in for a private showing instead — the dynamic between two REALTORS® is very different from the one between a buyer and a listing agent.

When you’re actually interested — don’t kill your own deal

Loop in your buyer-agent before you make any comment that could be construed as offer-related. The most common open-house mistake is the visitor who casually criticises a home they fully intend to bid on — “the kitchen is dated, the basement is small, the price is way over” — then writes an offer 48 hours later. The seller has already heard the report. Your offer reads as either insulting or insincere.

If you genuinely love the home, the right move is to stay neutral, take detailed notes (privately), and follow up through your agent the next business day. If you don’t yet have a buyer-agent, our buyer-representation page walks through the basics. If you’re between agents and want to talk informally, drop us a line.

Etiquette for sellers: how to set your home up for visitors

If you’re the seller, leave the home for the duration of the open. Buyers will not speak freely with you in the room, and you’ll lose feedback your listing agent could otherwise relay. Take pets with you. Lock away valuables, prescription medication, and anything sensitive (bank statements, mail, devices). Dim the personal touches — family photos, religious symbols, political signage — buyers shop more comfortably in a neutral space.

Ask your listing agent for a debrief afterwards. Traffic count, return visitors, the questions buyers asked, and any pricing or condition feedback should all show up in a short message that evening or the next morning. Patterns matter more than individual comments — if four separate visitors flagged the same kitchen issue, that’s a signal worth acting on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I tip the hosting agent?

No. Open houses are part of the listing service the seller is already paying for through commission.

Can I bring food or drinks into an open house?

Don’t. The host may provide bottled water or a small snack table; otherwise, leave food and drinks in the car. Spills on a freshly staged home are a real risk.

Is it rude to leave quickly?

Not at all — 5 to 10 minutes is plenty if the home isn’t for you, and the host knows. A quick “thanks, not what we’re looking for” as you leave is appreciated.

Can I bring a contractor or my parents to the open house?

Yes, but introduce them to the host. Bringing more than two extra people without a heads-up can make the agent uncomfortable, particularly in smaller condos.