No Commission · 7 min read · 3 November 2026
How to Run Your Own Open Home in Brisbane
Quick answer
To run your own open home, advertise a fixed inspection window, prepare and de-personalise the property, register every attendee's name and contact details, never conduct an inspection alone, answer questions factually rather than guessing, and follow up every attendee within 24 hours. Follow-up, not the inspection itself, is where private sales are usually won or lost.
Key takeaways
- Register every attendee. Your follow-up list is your entire buyer pool.
- Never inspect alone with an unverified stranger, have a second person present.
- Answer factually. "I will confirm and come back to you today" beats a wrong answer.
- Follow up within 24 hours, while the property is still fresh in the buyer's mind.
- Private appointments outside open times convert better than the open home itself.
The inspection is the most demanding part of a private sale, and the one most owners think about least. It combines hosting, security, sales and data collection in a 30-minute window, in your own home, with strangers.
None of that is beyond an organised owner. It just needs to be planned rather than improvised.
Before the day
Call your insurer and confirm your policy covers members of the public inspecting the property. Most home and contents policies do, but the exclusions are worth reading.
Then de-personalise. Photographs, personal documents, medication, spare keys, mail and devices should be out of sight and, where possible, locked away. Buyers open cupboards, and a small number of people attend open homes for reasons other than buying.
Presenting the property
Open every blind and curtain and turn on every light, including in daylight. Brisbane properties photograph and inspect well in natural light, and the difference between a dim room and a bright one is substantial.
Neutral smell matters more than pleasant smell. Air the property, avoid strong fragrances, and if you have pets, remove them and their bedding for the inspection window.
Set the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature twenty minutes before opening. A hot Brisbane apartment in February empties fast.
Safety and the register
Have a second adult present at every inspection. One person stays near the entry and registers arrivals; the other moves through the property. Do not let a group split up unaccompanied through the house.
Register everyone: name, mobile, email, and where they are in their buying process. Explain it as standard practice, because it is. That register is the only asset the inspection produces if nobody makes an offer on the day.
Answering questions
Buyers will ask about boundaries, easements, flooding, body corporate levies, sinking fund balances, recent works, school catchments and why you are selling. Answer what you know accurately, and commit to coming back on what you do not.
Be careful with anything that could be read as a representation about the property. If you are unsure whether something has to be disclosed, ask your solicitor rather than deciding on the spot. Statements made during an inspection can matter later.
On "why are you selling", give a short, honest, neutral answer. Detail about deadlines or financial pressure hands the buyer your negotiating position.
Follow-up is the whole game
Contact every attendee within 24 hours. Thank them, answer anything you promised to confirm, and ask directly whether the property is on their shortlist and what would move it up.
Most private sellers do this once and stop. The buyers who purchase are frequently the ones who inspected two or three weeks earlier, looked at four other properties, and came back. Keep the list warm with a short message when something changes, a price adjustment, a new inspection time, a building report becoming available.
Reading the room honestly
Attendance numbers tell you about your price and your advertising. Low attendance with strong photography usually means the price is above the market. High attendance with no offers usually means the property is presenting worse in person than online, or there is a specific objection you have not identified.
Ask departing buyers one question: "Is there anything about the property that would stop you making an offer?" The answers are uncomfortable and extremely useful.
Practical checklist
- Confirm your home and contents insurance covers public inspections.
- Secure or remove valuables, medication, documents, keys and devices.
- Arrange for a second adult to be present at every inspection.
- Prepare a one-page information sheet with rates, levies, land size and inclusions.
- Set up a register (name, phone, email, buying position) for every attendee.
- Photograph the property in its presented state so you can reset it quickly.
- Plan a follow-up message to send within 24 hours of the inspection.
Want to sell without paying commission?
See what a fixed-fee advertising campaign includes, what it costs, and what stays your responsibility as the owner.
Reviewed by SNJ Properties. Written by the SNJ Properties Editorial Team. Last updated 3 November 2026.
This content is general in nature. Property markets, legislation, fees and rental conditions can change. Owners and investors should seek independent legal, financial, tax or real estate advice before making decisions.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Related questions from Brisbane property owners.
- You should confirm your existing home and contents policy covers public inspections. Most do, but check the exclusions and tell your insurer that the property is being marketed for sale.
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Want to sell without paying commission?
See what a fixed-fee advertising campaign includes, what it costs, and what stays your responsibility as the owner.