Do Open Houses Actually Work in Cabo?

By Fletcher Wheaton  |  fletcher@remexico.com

A client recently asked me this exact question. Their agent back in Washington State had told them they didn't believe open houses worked -- and they wanted to know if the same was true here in Cabo.

Short answer: open houses are a real tool, but the way they function here is fundamentally different from how they work in a U.S. market. If you're buying or selling in Los Cabos, you need to understand that difference.

Why Open Houses Work Differently in Cabo

In a market like Dallas or Houston, an open house is designed to generate foot traffic from real buyers. You schedule it after school and after work so that families can come through -- people who are actively looking for a primary residence, weighing school districts, commute times, neighborhoods. The whole point is to get potential buyers in the door.

Los Cabos is a different market. The majority of buyers here are Americans purchasing a second home, a vacation property, or an investment. They are not walking neighborhoods on a Saturday afternoon. Most are not even in town. They're doing their research from back home and scheduling visits around travel plans.

So who shows up to open houses here? In my experience, roughly 95% of the people who walk through an open house in Cabo are other agents -- not buyers. And many of those agents are not there to preview a listing for a client. They're there to be active, get content for their social media, and show face in the market.

The Illusion of Activity

Here is something sellers should understand clearly: not all agent activity moves the needle.

When a listing sits longer than expected, it is very common for an agent to schedule an open house -- not necessarily because it is the most effective next step, but because it creates the appearance of effort. It gives the seller something to point to. It signals "we are working on this."

I have seen the same dynamic play out with paid Facebook ads. I know agents here in Cabo who run ads on every new listing, fully aware that it rarely drives a sale directly. But it gives them something to report back to the seller. "We're running paid promotion." It sounds like progress. Whether it actually is depends on the market and the listing.

I am not saying open houses or paid ads are worthless -- they are not. I am saying that sellers should ask a simple question: is this activity designed to sell my property, or is it designed to show me that my agent is busy?

So Should You Do Open Houses in Cabo?

Yes -- but with realistic expectations. Open houses do generate leads here, just not in the same way they do in a primary home market. The agent-to-agent exposure can be useful. If another agent in the market walks through and mentally files your listing for a client they're bringing down next month, that has value. Broker previews function well in this market for exactly that reason.

But if your agent is telling you an open house is going to sell your home in Cabo the same way it might in a suburban U.S. market, that is not accurate. The buyer pool is different, the buying behavior is different, and the audience walking through the door is mostly different too.

What Actually Sells Property in Cabo

Strong photography and video. Digital marketing that reaches buyers where they actually are -- which is not driving around neighborhoods on a weekend. MLS exposure and agent network reach. Accurate pricing. And representation that knows how to close a deal with an international buyer navigating a foreign transaction for the first time.

Open houses are one tool in a larger strategy. In Cabo, they are a smaller piece of the puzzle than they would be in most U.S. markets. Understanding that going in makes you a smarter seller -- and helps you evaluate whether your agent's activity is actually working for you.

Questions about selling in Los Cabos? Reach out directly: fletcher@remexico.com