An open house is a scheduled window, usually two or three hours on a weekend, when a home listed for sale is opened to the public so anyone can walk through without booking a private appointment. In Toronto the seller's listing agent, or another agent from the same brokerage, hosts the open house, greets visitors, answers questions about the property, and gathers feedback for the seller.
The listing agent arranges the event, sets the date and time, and advertises it on the MLS listing, on real estate portals, and with signs on the street. Open houses are most common in the first weekend or two after a home hits the market, when interest tends to be highest and the seller wants broad exposure before activity settles into scheduled showings. If you want a clearer picture of who runs this part of the process, it helps to understand what a listing agent does in Ontario.
Agents who host open houses in Ontario work under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2020, and the rules set by the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). Because an open house brings strangers into the home, RECO guidance treats security as a standard part of hosting. Sellers are advised to put away valuables, medication, mail, spare keys, and financial documents before the doors open. The seller does not stay in the home during the event. The agent runs it on the seller's behalf and keeps track of who comes through.
It is worth understanding what an open house does and does not do. National figures suggest that fewer than seven percent of buyers find the home they purchase through an open house, since most begin their search online long before they visit in person. In practice a public open house works more as an early marketing touchpoint and a way to collect honest feedback on price and condition than as the moment a committed buyer decides. Serious buyers in Toronto's competitive market usually book a private showing with their own agent before writing an offer.
Preparing for an open house overlaps with getting the home ready for sale in general, which is why many sellers clean, declutter, and consider staging before the first public showing. A well presented home shows better to every visitor, whether they arrive on open house day or by appointment later that week.
Related reading: What Does a Listing Agent Do in Ontario?, Is Home Staging Worth It When Selling a Home in Toronto?, and When Is the Best Time to Sell a House in Toronto?