15 Secrets No Real Estate Broker Will Tell You

An open house at an available home may seem to take place for the purpose of recruiting serious buyers, but these receptions are not really for the seller—they serve the agent's long-term plan.

"Most people who show up are 'tire kickers,'" says John Kavaller, an agent with Catskill Sales Associates Inc. in upstate New York. "People turn up to get a sense of the market or the neighborhood, but they are not ready to buy." They tend to sign in, tour the place and then take off with the agent's business card in hand.

The agent makes an effort to keep in touch with these some-day buyers, in hopes of closing a deal down the line.