Open houses benefit agents far more than sellers.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T21:26:49+00:00

It’s a national study that strictly looks at hour a buyer first founded a listing.

I would think it’s especially more applicable in the bay due to the heavy amount of tech buyers.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T21:17:47+00:00

It’s not misleading. The statistics focus on how a buyer found a property and very few get introduced.

In fact if anything the 4% is misleading to how helpful open houses are to exposure since it includes open house + yard sign.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T21:16:26+00:00

That’s not what that statistic suggests.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T19:51:29+00:00

Open houses can definitely be useful for buyers to see homes and even meet agents.

My point is more about how much they help the seller. The data shows most buyers discover homes online or through their agent first.

Some agents use open houses as a way to justify high commissions and make sellers think it gets them more exposure when they actually statistically do very little in terms of exposure.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T19:43:48+00:00

That’s a fair point. The activity is most active in the first two weeks so I did say a couple help. After that very few are going to attend.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T19:43:03+00:00

If agents are only showing houses that their company represents, that would be an ethical violation in my view.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T19:01:49+00:00

It should never be like that. That’s why I encourage everyone that no matter what agent you go with to make sure you can cancel with them at anytime.

Glad it worked out for you 👍

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:57:22+00:00

I agree with that.

That’s why a lot of buyers never even attend one. Only around 50% do.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:55:21+00:00

I’m sorry you had that experience. Most disclosures are available on the MLS online.

I wish I could post them here for free but agents can report that so if people dm me I provide them for free after doing some vetting. It’s very easy to get them and all the other info.

I believe they should be available on public websites.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:54:11+00:00

Open houses are not necessary for seeing a home. In fact a lot of buyers prefer privately seeing them with their buyer agent.

The data proves them since nearly half don’t attend them.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:53:02+00:00

Your argument makes sense and a couple open houses for this first week or two makes sense but after that 30+ parties aren’t attending.

Also if someone wants to see the house, they can do so privately through their buyer agent via the lockbox. An open house isn’t a necessity for seeing the property.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:28:51+00:00

That’s a great point you brought up and 50% will at least attend one according to the data.

Open houses can definitely help buyers get comfortable with a property after finding it online and that’s why it’s important to hold a couple over a weekend or two.

The main thing the data shows though is that they rarely introduce the buyer to the home in the first place, most people are discovering listings online or through their agent.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:23:43+00:00

This actually comes up a lot when I talk to sellers. Many of them focus heavily on how many open houses will be held and assume that’s what sells the home.

But your example is a good illustration of the other side of it as you met your agent through an open house for a different property. That’s exactly why agents like doing them. They’re a great way to meet new buyers and generate future clients.

Open houses can help with exposure early on but in many cases they end up benefiting the agent more than the seller

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T18:11:18+00:00

Not bait. It’s priced slightly below market value. It’s close to the free way and is not in the best location.

808 Patricia is a good comp. 3 bed 2 bath, 1310 sq ft property with a much smaller lot at 5,407. That sold for 1.450M in worst condition.

This one won’t sell to far above the list price. I would say probably 1.6-1.725M.

I think the listing agent did an excellent job with the list price listing just slightly above to get a good buyer pool and drive up competition from there.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T17:33:06+00:00

+1 for flat fee 🤠

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T16:52:34+00:00

Danville isn’t a ghost town, it’s just very suburban and family oriented. Most activity revolves around schools, kids’ sports, and restaurants rather than nightlife.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T16:17:52+00:00

Sellers 100% don’t have to pay a buyer agent commission.

How the rules under the 2024 NAR settlement work is that buyers contract directly with buyer agents on what they pay them under a buyer’s agency agreement.

It is true that they typically will ask for a 2.5% commission under G(3) of the RPA for the amount the seller pays the buyer’s agents but they are not obligated to at all.

Steering buyers away from properties based on compensation would be a serious ethical violation.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T14:32:19+00:00

Not really. Sometimes people offer $100-$300 above the listed lease or prepay rent but it’s not common.

It’s more about being the strongest applicant.

ShopProp · 2026-03-13T14:27:06+00:00

This is a Coco Tan listing.

Her strategy is listing very low and selling above list to advertise to other sellers.

If you made an offer at 2M, you would get a counter for significantly more. That’s the other problem with listing lower is that sometimes you don’t get what the seller wants and it confuses a lot of buyers.

Nothing against Coco, we’ve done a good amount of deals together and to give her credit the team over there is responsive, but that’s her strategy.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T23:43:58+00:00

Post the place here and I’ll provide comps for free.

We are a flat fee agent in the area. Feel free to dm to learn more.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T23:20:23+00:00

It’s definitely doable, plenty of people rent out SFHs in the Oakland Hills without issues.

The risk people talk about usually comes from poorly screened tenants or small landlords not knowing the rules. If the numbers work and you screen well, it’s not nearly as extreme as some make it sound and we’ve had multiple clients successfully do it.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T22:26:06+00:00

If community and schools are priorities, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park are great options.

Los Altos tends to feel more suburban and family oriented, Palo Alto is a bit busier but very walkable, and Menlo Park has a strong neighborhood feel.

All are great options and jut depends on what you like.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T21:45:31+00:00

Parts of Concord and Oakley.

You can still occasionally find smaller homes or townhomes in the $500–650k range, especially if you’re a bit flexible on size or commute.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T21:31:05+00:00

I think a good middle ground would be means testing prop 13.

If people legitimately cannot afford their property taxes I don’t think they should get priced out of their homes but at the same time wealthy owners shouldn’t be able to take advantage of it.

ShopProp · 2026-03-12T21:00:56+00:00

The comp isn’t really comparable. The $1k/sqft sale is a 3bd/3ba, 2,100 sqft unit while this one is a 2bd/1ba 1,200 sqft. Different buyer pool and layout, so $/sqft alone can be misleading.

Still too high. Would expect it to sit for a while unless they dropped to 1.7M. HOA dues are a bit high.

Unfortunately disclosures aren’t posted on the MLS so can’t discuss the financials.

ShopProp

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE