How Important Are Open Houses vs Private Showings?

What The Finigan Group Actually Sees Work

Sellers ask all the time:

“Do open houses really sell homes, or are private showings what actually matter?”

The short answer from Josh Finigan & The Finigan Group:
Both have a role—but they’re not equally important.

What open houses actually do well

Open houses are great for:

Generating buzz the first weekend on market
Making it easy for curious neighbors and uncommitted buyers to walk through
Creating a sense of activity and interest if multiple groups are inside at once

They can surface a real buyer. They definitely increase exposure. But Josh will tell you straight:

“Most serious buyers are already working with an agent and will schedule a private showing.”

Why private showings are the real decision-makers

Private showings are where:

Buyers take their time, measure, and mentally place furniture
Agents talk candidly about offer strategy
Real objections surface (“The yard is too small,” “We’d need to renovate the kitchen”)

These are the buyers most likely to write offers. That’s why The Finigan Group obsesses over:

Making it easy to schedule showings
Keeping the house consistently show-ready
Tracking and following up on serious interest

Get Your Home Sold
for Top Dollar, Today!

With over 720+ homes sold and 250+ 5-star reviews, The Finigan Group delivers the results others promise — and gets you Top Dollar without the stress.

HGTV Videos: Cinematic listing tour videos that sell the lifestyle
Aggressive Marketing: $26k/month marketing machine promoting your home
White-Glove Service: Every detail handled, every showing maximized

Make My Home Famous

Don’t take our word for it

See what our clients say:

We’re Social! Lets Connect:

How Josh uses both, strategically

Josh’s typical approach in Charlotte:

Use an open house early (often first weekend) to build momentum and social proof.
Focus heavily on driving and managing private showings, where real decisions happen.
Use feedback from both to refine price, presentation, or marketing if needed.

If you’re debating whether to bother with open houses, the smarter question is:

“What’s the overall showing strategy for my house—and how do open houses and privates fit into it?”

That’s the plan Josh Finigan & The Finigan Group will lay out for you. No gimmicks, just a clear path to more showings, better offers, and a cleaner sale.