Regardless of what HGTV’s Designed To Sell would have you believe, open houses aren’t exactly known for producing offers. According to MSN Real Estate:

“They’ve always been better for agents than sellers,” says Liz Johnson, a Los Angeles real estate who noted that most open house visitors ask her for information on other property listings she is working.

Especially in this digital age, where virtual tours abound, open houses are really becoming a thing of the past. They’re still there, but in far fewer numbers. The latest data available, from 2005, shows that only 45% of home sellers considered open houses “somewhat useful.” Meanwhile, home searches via the Internet have soared over the past 12 years, standing at 77% in 2007 versus only 2% in 1995. And MSN cites Johnson as saying that only 2% to 4% of her sales come from open houses.

There are also ample security concerns in this day and age with open houses, both to person and property. So why hold one? Well, it’s good marketing when handled correctly. It’s also a great excuse to clean and fix up your house, like when you invite company over. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.