What Buyers Are Really Saying at an Open (and What to Do About It)

If you’ve stood in an open home and heard someone mutter “it’s not for us” on the way out, you’re not getting the full picture. Most buyers don’t say what they’re actually thinking, and most sellers don’t realise how much they give away just by being there. After a run of opens, a few patterns are worth knowing, whether you’re buying or selling.

The question buyers ask most

The question we hear most often at an open isn’t about price guides or how long a property has been listed. It’s whether the seller would take an offer before auction. It sounds like idle curiosity, but it’s usually a buyer testing the water without putting their hand up. It’s a polite way of saying “I’m interested” without revealing how interested, or without having to compete in front of a room. For us as agents, it’s a useful signal: it tells us roughly where that buyer sits, whether they’re genuinely ready to bid on the day or still sitting on the fence.

The flip side is the room itself. Of a typical group of around 12 through a home, maybe two are genuinely keen and ten will tell you, in one form or another, that it’s not for them. That’s normal. It doesn’t mean the home is wrong. It means most people walking through any given property on any given Saturday simply aren’t your buyer.

If you’re interested, say so

We had a buyer recently who was annoyed that an agent hadn’t called him back about a property he liked. When we asked a few questions, it turned out he’d never actually told the agent he was interested, then ignored a follow up call. The lesson for buyers: an agent isn’t a mind reader. If you like a property, say so clearly. And if the agent calls, call them back. If you’ve told an agent at the open that you’re not interested when you actually are, the responsibility for missing out sits with you, not with them. If you do walk away saying “it’s not for me,” it helps everyone if you’re specific about why. Is it the price, the property itself, or the location? That lets an agent point you toward something that might actually fit, and it’s a far more useful conversation than a shrug on the way to the car.

Why pricing honestly from day one matters

The first two to three weeks a property is on the market are the ones that count most. Buyers do their research online before they ever walk through the door, and you don’t get a second chance at a first impression. If a property goes on at an unrealistic price and then gets walked down over several weeks, buyers sense it, and that hands them control of the negotiation. It also burns through marketing spend and auction costs along the way. The better approach is to price it where the market actually sits from the start, based on recent comparable sales, and be upfront with the seller about what that number is, rather than talking up buyer interest that isn’t really there just to keep them happy in the lead up to auction day.

Why an in house auctioneer matters

If a property is being sold at auction, the auctioneer calling it should know the campaign, the buyers, and the property, not just rock up on the day. An auctioneer who’s been involved from the first vendor meeting can help shape the whole campaign strategy, not just perform on the day itself. A fly in auctioneer with no connection to the lead up can still do a competent job if the market is strong and plenty of buyers are bidding. But if the market softens, there’s no substitute for someone who’s been across the file the whole way through and genuinely has a stake in the result.

Don’t let other people’s opinions do your thinking for you

Not everyone at an open is a genuine buyer, and not everyone is being straight about why they’re there. Some are neighbours with history: old friendships gone sour, disputes over a fence, even family members with their own reasons for wanting a lower (or higher) result. We’ve seen a seller turned buyer walk through an open and loudly question why anyone would pay the asking price, in front of a room full of other prospective buyers. If you’re a seller, tell your agent about any neighbours or past connections that might cause friction, so they can be managed at the door. If you’re a buyer, don’t let a stranger’s commentary in an open home shape your view of a property. Everyone walking through has their own motives, and most of them have nothing to do with you.

A quick tip on contracts

When you request a contract of sale and section 32 for a property, it’s worth getting a conveyancer to review it properly. That’s non negotiable. But if you want a fast first pass summary of the outgoings, council rates, body corporate fees or any overlays, you can drop the document into an AI tool to pull out the key details before your conveyancer goes through it properly. It’s a time saver, not a substitute for legal advice.

In short

• The most common open home question, “would they take offers before auction?”, is usually a soft way of signalling interest without competing publicly.
• Of a typical dozen groups through a home, expect only a couple to be genuinely keen.
• Be upfront with your agent about your interest level, and call them back.
• Pricing realistically from the first weeks on market beats starting high and chasing the price down later.
• An auctioneer involved from the start of a campaign is worth more than one who arrives on the day.
• Other people’s comments at an open (neighbours, rivals, family disputes) often have nothing to do with the property itself.
• Use AI tools for a quick first read of a contract, but always have a conveyancer review it properly.

This article draws on a conversation between Juan and Josh Merchan on the Selling Frankston podcast. Juan has been selling property in Frankston and Frankston South for more than 25 years.