Should you hold an open house on Labor Day weekend or run private tours
TL;DR: Labor Day 2026 is Monday, September 7. Hold by-appointment tours only on Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, with your seller out of the house, then recap Tuesday, September 8. Opendoor's "Are Open Houses Worth It?" (updated May 19, 2026) says to avoid major holidays for public opens and that most homes that sell through the traditional process sell via private showings rather than open house events. Movement Mortgage's holiday guidance (Mitch Mitchell, Aug 25, 2021) is that buyers house-hunting on a holiday are motivated and serious about making an offer, while sellers probably end up with less foot traffic overall. Steal the two Thursday texts below.
Your seller, Thursday morning: "Shouldn't we throw an open house while everyone has the day off?"
You do not need a debate. You need a calendar, two texts, and a Tuesday recap.
This is the private-tour weekend, not a public open house.
Why a holiday open house pulls the wrong crowd
Opendoor tells sellers, word for word: "Avoid scheduling during major holidays, local events, or inclement weather."
Labor Day is a major holiday. Monday, September 7 is the day. The weekend around it is not a loophole.
Opendoor also writes: "Most homes that sell through the traditional process sell via private showings rather than open house events."
And: "Private showings allow pre-qualified, genuinely interested buyers to tour your home one-on-one with their agent. This approach is more targeted than an open house, minimizes disruption, and tends to attract higher-quality prospects."
That is the case you make at the kitchen table. The public open is the disruption. The appointment is the filter.
Mitch Mitchell at Movement Mortgage (Aug 25, 2021) puts the holiday buyer in plain language: people house-hunting on a holiday are taken very seriously. They are not wasting time playing golf or relaxing in the pool. They are motivated and serious about making an offer.
He also flags the other side. Motivated buyers over a holiday weekend, but sellers probably end up with less foot traffic overall. Many sellers skip an open house on a holiday weekend.
So the room is smaller, and the people in it are more serious. That is a private-tour weekend.
His other line worth stealing: "Vacate the premises." Your seller leaves the house.
Opendoor's follow-up rule still applies after the weekend: "Your agent should follow up with every attendee within 24 to 48 hours." Tours end Sunday. Tuesday's recap sits inside that window. Then you call.
The Thursday-to-Tuesday cadence
Send the texts Thursday, September 3.
Hold by-appointment tours only Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6.
Labor Day is Monday, September 7. You do not add a public open because the day is "free."
Recap Tuesday, September 8. Three lines. Then call.
Do not headline a raw visitor count. A quieter holiday weekend of serious appointments still counts.
The two texts you send Thursday
To your seller:
Labor Day weekend is not an open-house weekend for this listing. The buyers who tour on a holiday are the serious ones. Everyone else is at a barbecue. I'm holding by-appointment tours only Saturday and Sunday. You leave the house. I'll send you a Tuesday recap: who toured, what they did next, and what I'm doing Wednesday.
To buyer agents who already toured, saved, or inquired:
Private tours available Saturday and Sunday by appointment only. No public open house this holiday weekend. If your buyer is working the search while everyone else is off, I can get them in. Reply with two time windows.
Copy them. Send them. Do not workshop them into a paragraph.
What you tell your seller
When your seller says, "Shouldn't we throw an open house while everyone has the day off?"
You say: Open houses on a holiday pull the people who are already out. They don't create serious buyers. The holiday hunters are the motivated ones. A lot of other sellers skip the weekend. Avoid major holidays for public opens. Most traditional sales still close from private showings. We run appointments for the serious ones, then I recap Tuesday.
Tuesday recap, three lines:
What happened.
What they did next.
What's next.
Then you call.
The recap is short so they can read it standing in the kitchen. The call is where you tell them what you are doing Wednesday.
Frequently asked questions
Should you hold an open house on Labor Day weekend?
You should not hold a public open house on Labor Day weekend if you can run by-appointment tours instead. Opendoor's "Are Open Houses Worth It?" (updated May 19, 2026) says to avoid scheduling during major holidays, and that most homes that sell through the traditional process sell via private showings rather than open house events.
What do you text a seller on the Thursday before Labor Day?
On Thursday, September 3, 2026, you text your seller that Labor Day weekend is not an open-house weekend for this listing, that you are holding by-appointment tours only Saturday and Sunday, that they leave the house, and that you will send a Tuesday recap covering who toured, what they did next, and what you are doing Wednesday.
Do holiday open houses create more serious buyers?
Holiday open houses do not create more serious buyers. They pull the people who are already out. Movement Mortgage (Mitch Mitchell, Aug 25, 2021) says buyers house-hunting on a holiday are motivated and serious about making an offer, while sellers probably end up with less foot traffic overall, and many sellers skip an open house on a holiday weekend.
When should you recap a Labor Day weekend of private tours?
You should recap a Labor Day weekend of private tours on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, in three lines (what happened, what they did next, what's next), then call. That Tuesday recap also sits inside Opendoor's 24-to-48-hour follow-up window after Sunday tours.
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Source: Are Open Houses Worth It?, Opendoor (updated May 19, 2026). Supporting: Mitch Mitchell, Labor Day weekend good time to hit an open house, Movement Mortgage (Aug 25, 2021).