Of course nosy people will come in. That's the price of having a home for sale. We bought the house we are in 9 years ago after seeing it at an open house. Our realtor was tied up with her own open house, and we saw several open houses without her. and we bought another house 40 years ago on an open house.

The theory is often that the OH is only for the agent to make contact with buyers and get clients. But it's often an easy way to get good exposure and sometimes sells the house.

Yes, the nosy neighbors will come in. So what?

Oh, and when we sold our California house 9 years ago to move here, the realtor and her partner set up an open house for a Thursday late afternoon before showing the house at all. Some 30 couples/groups showed up. Then we had another open house that Sunday. People were told that we would look at offers on Wednesday. We had 4 solid offers. And none of the bother of individual showings.

What does your realtor say to do?

I found our current house at an open house. The house was so weird (French provincial formal areas, lodge style windowless den, 5000 closets) that I would never have wasted my realtors time. We fell in love with the lot and location.

So back to my question. Are Open Houses a regional thing? We rarely see them where I live.

Yes, I have heard that one really just benefits the Realtor in finding new clients. Especially with the new laws that a buyer/looker must have a signed contract with a Realtor to view a property.

Realtor not signed yet as it still has personal effects in it and needs painted.

I don't give a sh*! and am actually happy that BIL wants to run the show on this. When this house is sold it will be one less thing on our plate. It is close to us and we are responsible for the upkeep of a huge, well landscaped yard.

I live in the Midwest and open houses here are very common if the house doesn't sell in the first three days on the market.

Open houses common here and other places I’ve been. So, maybe regional in the sense of, not every single place in the country.

Definitely talk with agent if using one.
If the home is not occupied, and you will get it all decluttered/ empty/ staged / cleaned ( to whatever extent) and are using an agent, then you have freedom for agent to show at any time to somewhat more screened buyers.

Open houses can be useful at beginning of a listing for families still living in home because sellers have advance notice to do best final tidy-up and vacate home for several hours ( imagine kids, pets). Depending on the market, they might get multiple offers to consider before having to show again. When you are living in home and especially if working, or children/ pets in the home, you may need a fair amount of notice and/ or limited times during week when you could be ready for a random showing.

Yes, lookie-loos will come to poke around, but the benefits outweigh the costs, in my opinion. Even those lookie-loos might help sell the place by telling friends and spreading the word on what it's like.

Every time I've sold, I let my agent make the call: If they think it's a good idea (based on location, market conditions, etc), then I'm happy to do it.

It depends on multiple factors, the location, the local practice, the realtor and the price range. In my local area, open houses are very rare. They are a lot of trouble. The more established realtors rarely use them. I have lived in areas where they are very common. But, that was in the days before the internet and a thousand pictures online. Sometimes a realtor will host a realtor's only open house on the local realtor caravan day. The higher the price point, the less likely because these are not sold to first time buyers. The lower price points may attract first time buyers.

Your family appears to scattered all over the country and trying to apply their local practices to another area. In a case this, you need an experienced, full-time agent who can explain local practices to persons not local. Real estate is always local.

There is a dearth of homes on the market now, so hopefully you will price right and it will sell quickly without one. If you don't get a bit in two weeks, do an open house.

Open house worthwhile? Depends on the market and the house. Any house will sell fast if priced well. Even better if you declutter and do simple staging. I think open houses are full of lookie-loo's, first time buyers who aren't ready to buy but want to learn the process, and for realtors to scoop up potential clients.

I don't give a sh*! and am actually happy that BIL wants to run the show on this.

Are you really sure about this? If so, then why are you posting the question here and not just letting him do it?

In my area, it has changed the last handful of years -- since the beginning of the pandemic, really. It used to be open houses were for homes that weren't selling very quickly, you'd see a house on the market for 3-4 weeks, sometimes more, and then there would be an open house it for it. Now? There are open house dates set the first day of the listing, which leads me to believe it's more for the realtor's benefit to drum up business because homes in my area are still selling like hot cakes, most of the homes go pending within a few days -- very often same day or next day. The realtor will still have the open house for the listings that weren't scooped up in a frenzy -- IMO mostly to get potential new clients because even the "leftovers" will still sell around here within a week or two. Longer than that, and there's something going on with the house, the price, or both.

ETA: Agree with above that you need a good LOCAL realtor -- real estate is always local.

We only had one open house when we sold any of our houses. One was enough. Not ever again. We did/do have one for realtors, but not for potential buyers. By appointment is the way we go now. No reason to have open houses in our present market, We are still in a sellers' market here in our beach town. I agree with the posters that say it is only used to get new clients.

Big question is who has inherited the property? Your in-laws home, so not yours, but your husband's. BIL is married to your husband's sister. You are out of the decision and so is your BIL. So, both of you, just back off.

Before the property is listed for sale, your husband and his sister need to know it is theirs to sell.

Will? Attorney? Then your husband and his sister can choose an agent to market it.

Of course, any suggestion is worth contemplating, you and BIL can suggest, but that is all.

It actually is my BIL so that makes it brother, brother, sister dealing with their live fathers house he no longer lives in. He lives in another state and has held on to this house for 8 years out of sentiment. Someone stays in it maybe 30 nights a year.

For all of you concerned about my involvement, I was asked to arrange for a realtor, BIL was incredibly rude to her, she opted not to work with him, they chose a friend from a town 20 miles away. We went on vacation, BIL paid for the house to be emptied. I did minimal work and it was great!

Our involvement now with be maintaining the lawn and making sure things are presentable for showings.

Also a somewhat interested in the open house question as a DD is planing a move soon and will have a house to sell at a higher price point than grandpa's house.