Are Open Houses Worth It? What Utah Sellers (and Buyers) Need to Know in 2026

DiscountAgent.com Blog • Seller Education

By Aaron Peters • Broker / Owner, DiscountAgent.com • May 2026

Updated: May 2026 • 13 min read

Here’s my honest take after 20 years of selling homes in Utah: open houses used to be mostly a waste of time. Now, after the NAR settlement, I hold them on every listing. That’s a complete 180—and I’m going to tell you exactly why.

The old open house model was an agent prospecting tool dressed up as a seller benefit. Only 3%–5% of buyers ever found their home through one. Your agent would sit in your house on a Sunday afternoon, collect names and phone numbers, and use those contacts to build their business—not sell your home. It worked great for agents. Not so much for you.

Then the NAR settlement changed the game. Since 2024, buyers must sign written agreements with their agents before touring homes. That one change made more buyers than ever decide to start their search on their own—and where do unrepresented buyers go? Open houses. According to the National Association of Realtors, homebuyers using open houses during their search jumped from 3% to over 53% since the rule changes took effect.

That completely changes the math on open houses. And with the right listing agreement, it can save both sellers and buyers thousands of dollars. Let me show you how.

1. Before vs. After: How the NAR Settlement Changed Open Houses

The best way to understand why open houses matter now is to see what changed:

That 3% to 53% jump is staggering. The NAR settlement requirement that buyers sign representation agreements before touring homes made many buyers think twice about committing to an agent early. Instead, they start browsing on their own—and open houses are the only way to walk through a home in person without a signed buyer agreement.

Meanwhile, only 5% of listed homes hold an open house on any given weekend. That means 95% of sellers are ignoring the channel that over half of all buyers are now actively using. If you’re listing your home and not holding open houses in 2026, you’re leaving money—and buyers—on the table.

2. Why I Now Hold Open Houses on Every Listing

I’ll be upfront: for most of my career, I didn’t think open houses were worth the seller’s time. The data didn’t support it. Most attendees weren’t serious buyers, and the homes that sold did so through private showings, MLS exposure, and agent-to-agent communication. I told my sellers the truth: “We can hold one if you want, but it’s unlikely to sell your home.”

Post-settlement? Completely different story. Here’s what I’m seeing on the ground in Utah:

More unrepresented buyers are walking through the door. These are real buyers—pre-approved, ready to purchase—who simply haven’t signed a buyer agent agreement yet. They’re smart, they understand commission, and they’re specifically looking for opportunities to buy without paying a full buyer agent fee.

Open houses create a direct connection between seller and buyer. When an unrepresented buyer finds a home they love at an open house, there’s an opportunity for a simpler, less expensive transaction—fewer agents, fewer commission layers, more savings for everyone.

Your competition isn’t holding them. With only 5% of listings holding open houses on any given weekend and 53% of buyers using them, the math is overwhelming. Holding open houses gives your listing a competitive advantage that 95% of sellers are ignoring.

With the right listing model, an open house can directly lower your commission. This is the part most sellers don’t realize—and it’s the most exciting change in real estate right now.

3. The Unrepresented Buyer Opportunity (And Why Most Brokers Miss It)

Here’s the scenario that plays out at open houses across Utah every weekend: a buyer walks through your home, falls in love, and wants to make an offer. They don’t have an agent. They’re educated on commission. They’re hoping that by coming directly—without a buyer agent—the seller can save on commission and maybe pass some of that savings along in the deal.

It’s a reasonable expectation. But here’s the problem: most listing agreements don’t allow it.

With a traditional brokerage, the listing agreement typically guarantees the listing broker the full commission regardless of how the buyer comes in. If no buyer agent is involved, the listing brokerage keeps both sides. Even if the seller wanted to lower the price to help make the deal work for an unrepresented buyer, it’s the broker’s decision whether to reduce the commission—and more often than not, the answer is no.

That means the unrepresented buyer’s effort to save money by skipping an agent often doesn’t actually save anyone anything. The listing brokerage just pockets the extra commission. The buyer gets no discount. The seller gets no benefit. The only winner is the listing agent.

4. How Our Performance-Based Listing Turns Open Houses Into Savings

At DiscountAgent.com, our listing agreement is designed specifically for the post-NAR world. Your commission adjusts based on how the buyer comes in—which means an open house isn’t just a marketing event, it’s a direct path to lower commission:

See how the open house connects to the savings? When an unrepresented buyer walks through your door at an open house and decides to make an offer, your total commission is 2%—not 5.71%. On a $600,000 home, that’s $12,000 total instead of $34,260. You just saved $22,260 because you held an open house with the right listing agreement.

And here’s what makes this model truly different: you’re never locked in, and you’re never required to accept an offer that doesn’t work for you. If a cooperating broker brings a buyer and the offer doesn’t net you enough after paying the buyer agent commission, you decline it. You keep marketing, keep holding open houses, and keep working your network. You stay in control of your bottom line at every step.

This is what sellers have always wanted—the freedom to find a buyer themselves and pay less when they do, combined with the safety net of a full-service MLS listing if they can’t. Open houses are the vehicle. The performance-based listing is the engine.

Learn more: How our performance-based listing works

5. Attention Buyers: How to Save Thousands at an Open House

If you’re a buyer attending open houses without an agent, you have more options than you think. Here’s the reality most listing agents won’t tell you:

Option A: Ask the listing agent to lower the commission. If you’re unrepresented and the seller’s listing agreement allows it, the listing agent could reduce the commission since there’s no buyer agent to pay. But honestly? Most won’t. The traditional listing agreement gives the brokerage the right to keep both sides. You can ask, but don’t expect a yes.

Option B (the smarter move): Call me. If you find a home you love at any open house anywhere along the Wasatch Front, call or text 801-243-8900. As your buyer’s agent, I represent you, negotiate on your behalf, and handle all the paperwork—and you automatically receive 50% of the buyer’s agent commission back at closing through our buyer commission rebate.

On a $600,000 home with a 2.5% buyer agent commission ($15,000), that’s approximately $7,500 back in your pocket at closing. You get professional representation, expert negotiation, and thousands of dollars back—instead of trying to convince a listing agent to lower a commission they have no incentive to reduce.

6. Open House Tips for Utah Sellers (Make Yours Count)

If you’re going to hold an open house, do it right. Here are the tips that actually move the needle:

Time it to your first week on market. The highest buyer interest happens in the first 7–10 days after listing. Hold your first open house on the first weekend after going live. That’s when you get the most traffic from serious buyers who have been watching for new listings.

Saturdays outperform Sundays in Utah. Weekend schedules vary, but Saturday open houses consistently draw more traffic along the Wasatch Front. Consider 11 AM–2 PM or 12 PM–3 PM for the best turnout.

Stage for the buyer, not for you. Declutter, depersonalize, and let the home speak for itself. Remove family photos, minimize furniture, and make sure every room has clear purpose. Buyers need to see themselves living there, not you.

Leave the house during the open house. Buyers are more relaxed and more honest with the hosting agent when the owner isn’t there. If a buyer feels watched or rushed, they won’t linger—and lingering is what leads to emotional connection with a home.

Market the open house aggressively. An open house that nobody knows about is a wasted afternoon. Your agent should promote it on the MLS, Zillow, social media, neighborhood groups, and with directional signage. At DiscountAgent.com, every open house gets full digital marketing across all channels.

Make sure your listing agreement rewards open house results. This is the most important tip on this list. If your listing agreement doesn’t reduce commission when an unrepresented buyer purchases your home, you’re holding an open house that benefits your agent—not you. Ask your agent: “If an unrepresented buyer comes through the open house and buys, does my commission go down?” If the answer is no, you have the wrong listing agreement.

7. FAQ: Open Houses in Utah

What Utah buyers and sellers need to know about open houses in 2026.

The Bottom Line

Open houses used to be about agents finding their next client. Now they’re about buyers finding their next home—and sellers finding a lower commission. The NAR settlement flipped the script, and the numbers prove it: 53% of buyers use open houses, only 5% of listings hold them, and the right listing agreement turns every visitor into a potential savings opportunity.

Whether you’re selling or buying along the Wasatch Front, DiscountAgent.com is built for this moment. Sellers get open houses on every listing with a performance-based commission as low as 1%. Buyers get professional representation with 50% of the commission back at closing. Everybody wins.

Ready to list or make an offer? Call or text 801-243-8900 or email Aaron@DiscountAgent.com.