The Odds are pretty darn slim that you are going to find the house of your dreams at a Sunday afternoon open house....  So I also think that the odds are equally as slim that any buyer will find their dream home at a Open House.  Lets just face it the thought of Opening your home up to the public on a Sunday afternoon is less than appealing in the first place.Normally what happens is that you have a few nosey Neighbors comeby and want to know where you are moving...  and most importantlythey want to know the asking price of your home. Because after all, their house is nicer than yours, in their eyes and if yoursis worth X than theirs is worth even more!Or its just other folks who are out on their Sunday afternoon drive and see the sign in the dirt so they decide to stop on in....  Most of the time they know little about the house and even more often they can not afford the house anyway.After all, when you go out on your Sunday afternoon drive aren't you going to the neighborhoods with the big houses in them, the houses that you will live in "one day" Now there may be the occasional neighbor that comes by to checkout your house not because they have any desire but, they do have a relativethat wants to move close....  In those rare occurrences that can be a good thing because neighbors can be good marketers for your home if they are looking out for friends and family.But all and all, I have found the traditional "Open House" to be a total waste of time....  In fact, I just don't do them anymore...  If a seller really thinks they matter that much I suggest they have one and when theyare truly ready to sell their home, give me a call and I will be happy to marketthe house for them.  Under certain circumstances there are 2 forms of an "Open House"  that I recommend.The first is an invitation only Open House.  This where I invite the top producers to the house and treat them the way they deserve too be treated. Many times I will have a catered meal or something nice.  I once hosted onethat included a FREE car wash done while they where touring the home.  Thesefolks are Top Producers because they pick up the phone and find buyers for properties. It is important to spend time making them aware of a nice house.The Second form is the "30 Minute Open House"  These are for the public.These are to be used if the house is getting a lot of call and can be a tool to produce "the fear of loss" or "a hot property" All you do is once you start to market the house if you get a few calls on the same day schedule all the showing in a 30 minute period either on the same day or the following day.The goal here is to have people showing up at the same time or within a few minutes of each other.  This creates a feel that that your property is "hot" and it can also make people produce an offer quicker...That's the name of the game!Justin Tupper