Open House Mistakes: The 53 Cats Rule, and What Never to Say at a Santa Clarita Open House
TL;DR: The person hosting the open house may not be the listing agent, so ask. Only licensed agents can discuss price and terms, so a shrug might mean you’re talking to an assistant. Signing in is the seller’s right, so don’t make it a standoff. Never hire the agent representing the other side of your deal. Don’t volunteer your budget, your timeline, or your excitement, because the host works for the seller. And the 53 cats rule: anything said at the property that matters to your life there gets confirmed the same day, in an email. Full story in the video below.
Is the person hosting the open house actually the listing agent?
Direct answer: not always, and the name on the sign out front is not always the person standing in the kitchen.
The host could be the listing agent. It could also be someone from that agent’s team, another agent from the same office, or an agent from a completely different company doing the listing agent a favor. There are a lot of variations, and none of them are sinister. But you should know who you’re talking to before you weigh anything they say.
So ask one question when you walk in: “Are you the listing agent?” One question tells you everything about who you’re dealing with and how much weight their answers carry.
Why won’t they tell me the price or the terms?
Direct answer: only a licensed real estate agent is allowed to discuss price and terms.
If you’re asking what the seller will take and all you’re getting is a shrug, you might be talking to an assistant. No knock on them. That’s the law. But now you know why the answers aren’t coming, and it’s a second reason to ask who’s hosting before you ask anything that matters.
Do I have to sign in at an open house?
Direct answer: if the seller requires registration, it’s legitimate, and it has nothing to do with fair housing.
The seller has every right to know who is walking through their home. It is their residence. Most agents won’t push it. Some will. Either way, don’t make it a standoff. Sign in and do your business.
And that’s the frame for the entire visit: business, not emotional. You’re there to gauge the property. Does it fit your life or doesn’t it? That’s the job.
Should I use the agent hosting the open house to represent me?
Direct answer: no. You never use the person representing the other side.
Think about who the host is. They’re either the listing agent, or close enough to that agent to be trusted with the seller’s keys. You wouldn’t share a lawyer with the person suing you. Same principle here. Get your own independent, personally vetted representation.
Because the pillow talk is coming: “Work with me, I’ll get you the best deal.” “I know what the seller will take.” Follow the money. That agent is already being paid on the seller’s side. Sign with them too and they’re collecting on both sides of your deal. Whose deal do you think gets protected?
What should I never say at an open house?
Direct answer: anything you wouldn’t want repeated to the seller, because the host works for the seller.
Mention your budget, your timeline, or how much you already love the backyard, and that can land in the seller’s ear and cost you at the negotiating table. Be friendly. Be human. Just don’t hand over your playbook.
The 53 cats rule: get it in writing
This one saves people. If anyone tells you something at the property that matters to your life there, confirm it the same day, in an email.
Say you have 53 cats. The little darlings. You mention them, and the agent says cats are no problem here. Great. That same day, you send an email: “As we discussed, I have 53 cats and you confirmed that’s allowed. I want to make sure I heard you right, because once those cats are out of the truck and in the house, they are not going back in the truck.”
If it’s true, they’ll confirm it in writing. If they go quiet, you just learned everything you needed to know, before you moved 53 cats.
This applies to anything material: pets, RV parking, room additions, the shed the neighbor swears is permitted. Spoken promises at an open house are window dressing until they’re in writing.
Quick answers
Is the open house host the listing agent? Not always. Team member, office colleague, sometimes a different company entirely. Ask: “Are you the listing agent?”
Why won’t they discuss price or terms? Only licensed agents can. A shrug may mean you’re talking to an unlicensed assistant.
Do I have to sign in? If the seller requires it, yes, it’s legitimate. Their home, their right. Nothing to do with fair housing.
Should the host become my agent? No. Never use the person representing the other side. Independent, personally vetted representation only.
What shouldn’t I say? Budget, timeline, excitement. The host works for the seller.
What’s the 53 cats rule? Anything that matters to your life at that property gets confirmed the same day in an email.
Connor represents sellers only, fixed $17,000, so he has no angle with buyers. He represented buyers for 21 years, thousands of them, and he’ll talk you through any part of the process. Want real representation? He’ll point you to a personally vetted buyers-only agent who works for you, not for him.
Want to talk in person? See where Connor is hosting an open house right now, text or call (661) 888-4983, or book time with Connor.
Connor T. MacIvor · CalDRE #01238257 · Sync Brokerage, Inc. · DRE #02031490
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