How To Add An Open House To Zillow: For Agents & Fsbo Sellers
Learn how to add an open house to Zillow, whether you're a real estate agent or FSBO seller. This step-by-step guide covers setup, troubleshooting, and how to drive traffic—even if Zillow doesn’t display your event.
If you're planning an open house, there's one place it absolutely needs to be: Zillow. As the most visited real estate website in the U.S., Zillow is where millions of buyers search for their next home—and they pay close attention to listings that include open house times. Whether you're a licensed agent or a homeowner selling your property For Sale By Owner (FSBO), adding your open house to Zillow can dramatically increase your visibility and foot traffic.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you exactly how to add an open house to Zillow, including detailed instructions for both realtors using the MLS and homeowners managing their own listings. You'll also learn how Zillow displays open houses, what to do if your event isn’t showing up, and a few expert tips to maximize your exposure. Let’s get started.
How to Add an Open House to Zillow
Can You Add an Open House to Zillow?
Yes, Zillow does allow you to add an open house to your listing—but the method depends on how the property is listed. The process is different for licensed real estate agents using the MLS and homeowners selling For Sale By Owner (FSBO).
If you’re not seeing your open house on the listing, it’s often because of a missed step in one of these two paths.
Understanding how Zillow handles open houses will help you avoid common issues and ensure your event gets maximum exposure on the platform.
Here’s how Zillow handles open houses for different listing types:
For agent-listed properties, Zillow pulls open house details automatically from the MLS. If you enter your open house in your MLS system, it should appear on Zillow within a few hours—no manual update required.
For FSBO sellers, Zillow provides a manual form in your owner dashboard that allows you to add or edit open house dates, times, and virtual event links. However, this option only appears after you’ve claimed your listing and verified ownership.
Zillow only displays open house details for active listings. If your listing is marked as contingent, pending, or off-market, the open house will be hidden automatically—even if it's correctly entered.
In the next sections, we’ll walk through the exact steps to add an open house to Zillow, starting with the process for agents and then covering how FSBO sellers can manually add their events from the owner dashboard.
How to Add an Open House to Zillow as an Agent
How to Add an Open House to Zillow as an Agent
If you are a licensed real estate agent, you cannot add an open house directly to Zillow. Instead, Zillow pulls open house data automatically from your MLS (Multiple Listing Service). That means the only way to get your open house to appear on the Zillow listing is to enter it correctly into your MLS—and ensure that listing is active and syndicating properly.
When everything is entered correctly, Zillow will typically display your open house within a few hours. But if something is missing, your event may never show up at all.
To make sure your open house appears on Zillow as intended, follow these key steps:
Confirm that your listing is syndicated to Zillow through your MLS. Start by searching your listing on Zillow. If your name, brokerage, and contact info appear, the feed is working correctly. If you don’t see your listing or your name is missing, you may need to check your brokerage’s syndication settings or contact your MLS administrator.
Enter your open house details directly in the MLS. Most MLS platforms include a section labeled “Open House,” “Marketing Events,” or something similar. Be sure to input the exact date, start time, end time, and select “public” (not “broker-only”) to ensure Zillow will display the event.
Double-check the time zone, listing status, and event type. Zillow will only show open houses for listings marked as “active.” It will not display events for properties listed as contingent, pending, or temporarily off market—even if the open house is scheduled in the MLS.
Wait up to 24 hours for Zillow to reflect the changes. In most cases, the open house will appear within a few hours, but some MLS systems update Zillow once per day. Always allow up to 24 hours before assuming something went wrong.
If your open house still doesn’t show up after a full day, you may need to resync the MLS feed or contact Zillow support with your listing URL and MLS number.
Next, we’ll walk through how FSBO sellers can manually add open house details directly through Zillow’s dashboard.
How to Add an Open House to Zillow as a FSBO Seller
How to Add an Open House to Zillow as a FSBO Seller
If you’re selling your home without an agent, Zillow gives you direct control over your listing—including the ability to add open house dates. But unlike agent-listed properties, which pull open house information from the MLS, FSBO listings require you to add this information manually through your Zillow dashboard.
The good news is that once your listing is active and verified, Zillow makes it relatively easy to update. However, you’ll need to make sure your account is set up properly before the option appears.
To successfully add an open house to your FSBO listing on Zillow, follow these steps:
Log in to your Zillow account using the email address connected to your listing. Once logged in, click on your profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen and choose “Your Home” to access your listing dashboard.
Claim your home if you haven’t already. If your home is listed but not yet claimed, search your property address on Zillow, select the listing, and click “Claim this home.” Zillow will walk you through a verification process that confirms ownership, usually by matching public records or sending a verification email.
Click “Edit Listing” to access your listing information. After claiming the home, return to your owner dashboard and select “Edit Listing.” This is where you can make updates to your photos, description, pricing, and open house schedule.
Scroll to the “Open House Schedule” section and add your event. Enter the date, start time, end time, and whether the event will repeat. You’ll also have the option to include a virtual open house link if you’re using Zoom, Google Meet, or another video platform.
Save your changes and verify the update. After saving, view your public Zillow listing in a private or incognito browser window to make sure the open house details are displaying correctly. If it doesn’t appear immediately, allow 10–15 minutes and try again.
Zillow does not send notifications about FSBO open houses to potential buyers, so once the event is added, it’s important to promote it through your own marketing channels—including social media, email, and signage.
In the next section, we’ll cover what to do if your open house still isn’t showing up on Zillow, even after following these steps.
What to Do If Your Open House Isn’t Showing on Zillow
What to Do If Your Open House Isn’t Showing on Zillow
Even when you’ve entered everything correctly, open houses sometimes fail to appear on Zillow. This can happen with both MLS-synced listings and FSBO listings, and the reasons aren’t always obvious. The good news is that in most cases, the issue can be resolved quickly—or at the very least, worked around with other high-visibility strategies.
Before assuming something went wrong, take a moment to review the most common reasons your open house might not be showing and what you can do about each one.
Here are the most likely causes—and how to fix them:
The listing is not marked as “active.” Zillow only displays open house details for active listings. If your property is marked as contingent, pending, or off-market in the MLS or your FSBO dashboard, the open house will be hidden automatically.
The MLS hasn’t synced yet. If you’re an agent, Zillow may take several hours (and in some cases up to 24 hours) to pull new data from your MLS feed. Check your syndication schedule, and allow some time before assuming there’s an error.
The open house was entered incorrectly. Missing start or end times, selecting the wrong event type (e.g., broker-only instead of public), or forgetting to hit “save” are all common mistakes. Log back into your MLS or FSBO dashboard and double-check every field.
The open house is scheduled too far in the future. Zillow sometimes limits how far ahead open houses are displayed. If your event is more than two weeks out, it may not appear until the date gets closer.
Your browser is showing a cached version of the listing. After making changes, your browser may still be displaying the old version of the listing. Try viewing the page in an incognito window or clear your cache to see the most recent update.
If you've verified all the above and your open house still isn’t showing after 24 hours, it may be time to reach out to Zillow support. You can contact them at zillow.com/help and provide the property address, MLS number (if applicable), and a brief description of the issue.
While waiting for a resolution, you can still generate strong turnout by promoting your event through other channels. In the next section, we’ll walk through alternative ways to drive traffic to your open house—even if Zillow isn’t displaying it at all.
What to Do If You Can’t Add an Open House to Zillow
What to Do If You Can’t Add an Open House to Zillow
In some situations, adding an open house to Zillow simply isn’t possible. This can happen when your listing is in a status that Zillow doesn’t support, your MLS doesn’t syndicate open house data, or you’re selling FSBO and haven’t claimed your listing yet. Regardless of the reason, not being able to list your open house on Zillow doesn’t mean the event won’t be a success.
There are several other ways to promote your open house and drive serious traffic—even if Zillow isn’t part of the equation.
Promote Your Open House on Social Media
Social media can give your open house more visibility than Zillow ever could, especially when used intentionally. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor are where many buyers go to explore neighborhoods, get local recommendations, and discover listings shared by friends and agents.
You can increase visibility by:
Creating a Facebook Event that includes the property address, open house time, and a short description of what makes the home stand out. This provides a shareable link and RSVP functionality.
Posting Instagram Reels or Stories that walk viewers through key parts of the home while displaying the open house date and time in the video itself.
Sharing the open house in Nextdoor groups to reach nearby homeowners and hyper-local buyers who are already engaged in the community.
When promoting on social media, always include a link to your listing so viewers can learn more or share it with others.
Use Your Google Business Profile to Display the Open House
If you are an agent or broker, your Google Business Profile is a powerful asset for open house promotion. When buyers Google your name or business, your profile appears on the right-hand side of the search results—and it supports posts, events, and listing links.
Posting the open house as an “Event” update, which allows you to include a title, date, time, location, and description.
Uploading a high-quality image of the property that will stand out in search results.
Adding a link to your listing or RSVP form, giving buyers an easy next step.
This tactic is especially effective for buyers who are already in research mode and searching for local agents or listings.
Send Open House Emails to Your Buyer List
Email remains one of the most direct and effective ways to promote an open house—especially if you already have a list of warm leads. Unlike Zillow, which passively displays your listing, email gives you control over both the timing and the message.
A strong email campaign should include:
A compelling subject line, such as “🏡 Open House This Saturday – Don’t Miss This Listing!” or “Just Listed: Tour 123 Maple Avenue This Weekend.”
A featured listing photo and event details, including the date, time, and full address of the open house.
A clear call to action, such as “Click to RSVP” or “Schedule a private showing,” linked to your listing or a lead capture form.
This approach works particularly well for re-engaging older leads or targeting specific buyers in your CRM.
Tips to Maximize Your Open House Visibility on Zillow
Tips to Maximize Your Open House Visibility on Zillow
Getting your open house to show up on Zillow is a great start—but simply having it listed isn’t enough. With hundreds of homes competing for attention in your market, the real goal is to make your open house stand out. Zillow rewards strong presentation, great photos, and listings that look complete and well-maintained. The more appealing your listing is, the more likely buyers are to click, schedule a tour, or show up in person.
Here are several strategies you can use to maximize the visibility and impact of your open house on Zillow:
Use a Strong, High-Impact Cover Photo
The first photo in your listing is what appears in search results, on the Zillow map view, and in email alerts to buyers. This image sets the tone and determines whether people click.
To make your open house stand out, be sure to:
Choose your best photo as the cover image, ideally a wide-angle shot of the front exterior in good lighting.
Avoid leading with a dark room, garage, or unremarkable space, even if those photos are high quality.
Reorder your photo gallery strategically, so that the strongest selling points of the home appear early in the scroll.
High-quality, professional-looking photos will generate more clicks—and more clicks mean more traffic to your open house.
Schedule the Open House at Peak Buyer Times
The time of day and day of the week can have a major effect on how many people actually attend your event. Zillow doesn’t rank listings by time slot, but buyers are more likely to notice and attend open houses that fit into their weekend routines.
To optimize your timing, consider the following:
Weekends—especially Sundays from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.—tend to see the most traffic.
Early evening “twilight” open houses can work well midweek, especially in spring and summer when daylight lasts longer.
Avoid scheduling during major local events or holidays, when your target audience may be busy with other plans.
Well-timed events are more likely to generate foot traffic—and Zillow gives additional exposure to listings with upcoming open house dates.
Mention the Open House in the Listing Description
Although Zillow pulls open house data from the MLS or dashboard, buyers often skim the listing description to confirm what’s happening and when. Including your open house details in the body of the description reinforces the information and helps it stand out.
When adding it to the description:
Include the date, start and end time, and “Open House” clearly in the first few lines.
Mention any bonuses, such as refreshments, staging updates, giveaways, or lender on site.
Keep the wording conversational but direct, so it reads naturally without sounding like a promo.
Check with your MLS rules first—some may restrict open house mentions in the remarks section. If so, include the details in agent remarks or in other marketing materials.
Promote the Zillow Listing Link Across All Channels
Even after you’ve added the open house, Zillow doesn’t actively push the event to buyers—you have to drive awareness yourself. The easiest way to do that is by sharing the Zillow link anywhere you’re already connecting with your audience.
For broader reach, you can:
Post the link on Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor, along with a short video or carousel of photos.
Add the link to your email newsletter or CRM drip campaigns, targeting both active and passive buyers.
Include the link in your Google Business Profile open house post, helping buyers find the event through local search.
Sharing the Zillow listing directly boosts engagement, drives traffic, and helps more buyers discover your event—on and off the platform.
Zillow is a high-visibility platform, but you still have to work to rise above the noise. By combining strong listing visuals, smart scheduling, and clear promotion, you can turn a basic open house listing into a standout marketing asset that drives real foot traffic and lead conversion.
FAQs About Adding an Open House to Zillow
FAQs About Adding an Open House to Zillow
If you still have questions about how open houses work on Zillow—or what to do when something isn’t showing up—this section covers the most common issues agents and FSBO sellers run into.
Can you add an open house to Zillow?
Yes, you can add an open house to Zillow, but the process depends on how your home is listed. If you’re a real estate agent, you’ll need to enter the open house details through your MLS, and Zillow will display the event once the data syncs. If you’re a FSBO (For Sale By Owner) seller, you can manually add the open house through your Zillow owner dashboard once your listing has been claimed and verified.
How do I add an open house to my listing on Zillow?
For agent-listed properties, you must add the open house through your MLS under the “Open House” or “Marketing Events” section. Make sure to include the correct date, time, and event type (public, not broker-only). For FSBO listings, log into your Zillow account, navigate to “Your Home,” click “Edit Listing,” and scroll to the open house section where you can enter the date, time, and optional virtual tour link.
Does Zillow show open houses to buyers?
Yes, Zillow displays upcoming open houses on the listing page under the price and above the description. Buyers can also filter their search results to only show listings with scheduled open houses. However, the event will only appear if the listing is marked as “active” and the open house is properly entered and synced.
Why isn’t my open house showing on Zillow?
If your open house isn’t appearing on Zillow, there are several possible reasons. The most common include: the listing is not marked as “active,” the MLS feed has not synced yet, the event was entered incorrectly, or the browser is showing a cached version of the page. In some cases, Zillow may delay displaying events that are scheduled too far in the future. Always check your listing’s public status and verify the details have been saved properly.
How do you get your house added to Zillow?
To add your home to Zillow, visit zillow.com/sell and follow the prompts to create a For Sale By Owner listing. If your home is already listed by an agent, it may appear automatically through MLS syndication. FSBO sellers will need to verify ownership before editing or adding open house information. Agents should confirm that their MLS feed includes Zillow as a syndication target.
Conclusion: Make the Most of Your Open House on Zillow
Adding an open house to Zillow is one of the simplest ways to get more eyes on your listing—but only if it’s done correctly. Whether you’re a real estate agent entering the event through your MLS or a FSBO seller updating your listing manually, the key is knowing how Zillow handles open house data and how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong.
If your open house doesn’t appear on Zillow, don’t panic. Between social media, Google Business posts, email campaigns, and smart signage, you still have multiple ways to promote the event and capture high-quality buyer leads. In fact, agents who combine Zillow visibility with direct outreach often see the strongest turnouts and highest engagement.
Zillow is a great tool, but it shouldn’t be your only one. When used alongside the right marketing strategies, it becomes part of a much bigger system that helps you turn open house traffic into real opportunities.
Want to capture every visitor who walks through your open house—whether they found it on Zillow or not? Use Showable to generate leads with smart QR code sign-ins, automated follow-up, and seamless CRM integration.
It’s the easiest way to turn open house traffic into real opportunities.
