The Efficacy of Open Houses: A Closer Look for Divorcing Homeowners in the Twin Cities
In working with clients who are navigating the sale of a marital home as part of a divorce, one of the first questions that comes up is, "Are we going to do open houses?" It's a fair question, and it reflects how ingrained the open house has become in our cultural picture of selling a home. But in my work as a Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE®) here in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, I've found that this is one of the conversations most worth slowing down for.
Open houses can absolutely have a place in a traditional sale. In a divorce sale, though, the calculus changes—and not always in the ways people expect.
Safety Has to Come First
Divorces vary widely in tone. Some are amicable and cooperative; others involve restraining orders, exclusive occupancy orders, or carefully negotiated boundaries about who can be at the property and when. An open house, by its very nature, opens the door—literally—to anyone who wants to walk through. That can create an opening for one party (or someone connected to them) to enter a home in a way that crosses legal lines or reignites conflict that the parties and their attorneys have worked hard to contain.
In situations like these, what looks like a routine marketing event can quickly become a flashpoint.
The Emotional and Logistical Toll
Even setting aside the legal concerns, divorce sales tend to involve sellers who are already stretched thin. Coordinating an open house means cleaning, staging, and clearing out of the home for several hours—often while juggling kids, pets, work schedules, and the emotional weight of selling a place that holds years of memories. That's a significant ask under the best of circumstances. When the people doing it are in the middle of one of life's hardest transitions, it can feel like one demand too many.
And the return on that effort isn't always what people imagine. A meaningful share of open house traffic is made up of curious neighbors, weekend browsers, and buyers who haven't yet spoken with a lender. That's not a critique of the people who attend—it's just the nature of an open-door event.
Privacy, Security, and Sensitive Information
In a divorce, the home often still holds personal effects from both spouses—paperwork, prescriptions, financial documents, mail, electronics, family photographs. Increased foot traffic, even in well-supervised open houses, raises the risk of items being moved, photographed, or taken. For divorcing sellers, that exposure can carry consequences that go well beyond an ordinary sale.
What the Data Tells Us
Here's the part that often surprises people: according to the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only about 3% of buyers found the home they purchased through an open house. In other words, choosing to forgo open houses—particularly in a divorce sale—has a minimal effect on a well-built marketing strategy. With strong online exposure, professional photography, accurate pricing, and targeted outreach, a Twin Cities home can attract serious buyers without ever opening its doors to the general public.
A More Controlled Approach
For most of the divorcing clients I work with across Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding suburbs, private showings with pre-qualified buyers offer a better balance. They give us:
A clear record of who has been in the home and when
Time to prepare the property thoughtfully without disrupting the family's routine more than necessary
Greater protection of personal belongings and sensitive information
Fewer opportunities for conflict between parties
It's a quieter approach, but in my experience it's often a more effective one—especially in a market like ours, where well-presented homes still attract motivated, ready buyers when priced and marketed correctly.
A Note to Family Law Professionals
If you're an attorney, mediator, or financial professional working with a client who is preparing to sell a home during or after divorce, I'm always glad to be a resource. Sometimes the right answer is a traditional listing strategy. Sometimes it isn't. Either way, having a thoughtful conversation early—before the sign goes in the yard—can save your client time, money, and a great deal of unnecessary stress.
The Twin Cities market continues to reward sellers who approach the process with strategy and care. For divorcing homeowners, that strategy often looks a little different than the standard playbook, and that's exactly the point.
Shannon Lindstrom, REALTOR® Certified Divorce Real Estate Expert (CDRE®) | MILRES® | MRP | VCA
RE/MAX Results — Serving Minneapolis, St. Paul & the Greater Twin Cities
📞 612-616-9714
🌐 www.shannonlindstromrealtor.com
🌐 www.ShannonLindstrom.info
🌐 www.MNDivorceRealEstateExpert.com
🌐 www.ilumniinstitute.com/cdre/shannon-lindstrom
