Question 1

Do you have to sign in at an open house?

Accepted Answer

No law requires a visitor to sign in, but most agents ask everyone to, for the seller's security and so they can follow up. In New York, signing in is also a natural moment for the agent to hand over the agency disclosure the law requires once a conversation turns serious.

Question 2

Why do open houses have a sign-in sheet?

Accepted Answer

Three reasons: the seller wants to know who walked through their home, the agent wants to follow up with buyers, and it gives the agent a record of every visitor if anything goes missing. A digital sign-in does the same job with readable contact details.

Question 3

What information should an open house sign-in sheet collect?

Accepted Answer

At minimum: name, phone, email and whether the visitor is already working with an agent. Many agents also ask about timeframe, budget and how the visitor heard about the open house. In New York, add a place to note the agency and fair housing disclosures.

Question 4

Is there a free printable open house sign-in sheet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. EcoAdmin's free open house sign-in sheet is a printable PDF with no email required, and it includes a checklist of the New York forms a paper sheet doesn't cover.

Question 5

Is a digital open house sign-in better than paper?

Accepted Answer

For leads and paperwork, yes. A digital sign-in gives you typed, readable contact details, records whether each buyer has an agent and keeps their signed disclosures with their record. A paper sheet can't do the last two.

Question 6

How does a QR code open house sign-in work?

Accepted Answer

You print the open house's QR code and put it by the door. Visitors scan it with their phone camera, fill in a short form and sign any forms on a web page, and each sign-in appears on your attendance list straight away.

Question 7

Do visitors need to download an app to sign in?

Accepted Answer

Not with EcoAdmin. Visitors scan the QR code with their phone camera and check in on a web page, so there's nothing to install.

Question 8

Is there a free app for open house sign-in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Curb Hero, for example, is free for individual agents. EcoAdmin costs $14.99 a month because it also handles New York's forms: the 443 agency disclosure, the fair housing disclosure and buyer agreements, e-signed at check-in.

Question 9

What's the best open house sign-in app for New York agents?

Accepted Answer

One that handles New York's paperwork as well as the sign-in. EcoAdmin was built for that: visitors e-sign the NYS 443 agency disclosure, the NYS fair housing disclosure and a non-exclusive buyer agreement at check-in, and listings import from OneKey® MLS.

Question 10

Does the open house sign-in work on iPhone, iPad and Android?

Accepted Answer

Yes. EcoAdmin has an iPhone app and runs in any web browser, so agents can use it on an iPad, an Android phone or a laptop. Visitors use their own phone's camera and browser.

Question 11

Can buyer's agents sign in at my open house too?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Visiting agents choose "I'm an Agent" and enter their name, email, phone and brokerage, separate from buyer sign-ins.

Question 12

What's the difference between a broker's open and an open house?

Accepted Answer

A broker's open is held for agents, so they can preview a new listing for their buyers; a public open house is for buyers themselves. EcoAdmin lets you set each event as Public, Broker's Only or By Appointment, with a separate check-in for agents.

Question 13

When must an agent provide the New York agency disclosure form?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the agent's role. A seller's agent gives it to a buyer at the first substantive contact; a buyer's agent gives it to the buyer before signing an agreement to represent them, and to the seller or listing agent at first substantive contact. The rules are in Real Property Law § 443(3).

Question 14

Do I have to give the agency disclosure to every open house visitor?

Accepted Answer

Not to every visitor. Greeting people and answering general questions usually isn't substantive contact, but a serious talk about price, an offer or the buyer's search is. Many New York agents present the form at sign-in so they never miss that moment.

Question 15

Is the New York agency disclosure form a contract?

Accepted Answer

No. The form (DOS-1736) says "THIS IS NOT A CONTRACT" at the top. Signing it only acknowledges that the buyer received it and was told who the agent represents. It doesn't commit the buyer to working with that agent.

Question 16

What happens if a buyer refuses to sign the agency disclosure?

Accepted Answer

You can still work with them. Under RPL § 443(3)(e) the agent records the facts of the refusal in a declaration made under oath or affirmation and keeps it for at least three years. In EcoAdmin the visitor is still checked in and a Declaration of Refusal to Sign is generated for you to complete.

Question 17

How long do New York agents have to keep signed disclosure forms?

Accepted Answer

At least three years. RPL § 443(3)(d) requires a copy of the signed agency disclosure to be kept for three years, and New York's broker record rules (19 NYCRR § 175.23) keep sales transaction records for three years too.

Question 18

Can New York real estate disclosure forms be signed electronically?

Accepted Answer

Generally yes. New York's State Technology Law § 304(2) gives an electronic signature "the same validity and effect" as a handwritten one, and nothing in § 443 requires paper. Check your brokerage's policy.

Question 19

Do I need a fair housing notice at my open house in New York?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under 19 NYCRR § 175.29, New York licensees must display the Fair Housing Notice at every open house, in their office window and through a link on their website's homepage.

Question 20

What's the difference between the NY fair housing notice and the fair housing disclosure?

Accepted Answer

The notice (§ 175.29) is displayed, for example at the open house and on your website. The disclosure form (DOS-2156, § 175.28) is handed to the consumer at the first substantive contact, with a signed acknowledgment kept for three years.

Question 21

Does the fair housing notice have to be on a real estate agent's website?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for New York licensees. § 175.29 requires a link to the Fair Housing Notice on the homepage of the licensee's website.

Question 22

Do buyers have to sign a buyer agreement to go to an open house?

Accepted Answer

No. NAR's guidance since August 2024 says a buyer visiting an open house on their own doesn't need to sign a written buyer agreement, and the hosting agent doesn't need one either. A written agreement is needed once a buyer starts working with an agent, before they tour a home together. New York state law doesn't add its own requirement yet.

Question 23

Can you go to an open house without an agent?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Anyone can visit a public open house. In New York, the agent hosting it usually represents the seller and may give you the agency disclosure form so you know whose side they're on.

Question 24

Can I use my brokerage's own forms at check-in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Upload any PDF to EcoAdmin's custom form builder and add signature, initials, date and auto-filled fields such as agent name, client name, property address, listing price and commission.

Question 25

How do agents get clients from open houses?

Accepted Answer

Capture every visitor's details, find out who already has an agent, and follow up within a day while the house is still fresh in their mind. Buyers without an agent are the leads to call first.

Question 26

Will I know when someone signs in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. EcoAdmin sends a notification with every sign-in, so you can greet buyers by name.

Question 27

What information do I get about each visitor?

Accepted Answer

Their name, email, phone, budget, whether they have an agent and the forms they signed, all on the open house's attendance list.

Question 28

How do I follow up with open house leads?

Accepted Answer

Export the attendance list as a CSV for your CRM or email tool, or add visitors to your EcoAdmin contacts one at a time or all at once. EcoAdmin doesn't send follow-up emails for you; agents who want automated follow-ups often pair it with their CRM.

Question 29

Does EcoAdmin work with Google Calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Connect Google Calendar once and your open houses appear alongside the rest of your week.

Question 30

Who owns the leads and documents?

Accepted Answer

You do. Under EcoAdmin's Terms of Service you keep ownership of the contacts, documents and forms you collect, and EcoAdmin uses them only to provide the service.

Question 31

What is OneKey MLS?

Accepted Answer

OneKey® MLS describes itself as New York's largest MLS, covering the New York metro area. To join, you need a New York real estate license and active membership in a REALTOR® association; Hudson Gateway (HGAR) and the Long Island Board of REALTORS® (LIBOR) are its stakeholder associations.

Question 32

How do I join OneKey MLS?

Accepted Answer

Hold a New York real estate license and become a member of a local REALTOR® association, then subscribe to OneKey® MLS through it, for example through HGAR or LIBOR.

Question 33

Does OneKey MLS cover Manhattan?

Accepted Answer

Only partly. OneKey® MLS has listings across the New York metro area, including New York City, but most Manhattan listings are shared through REBNY's Residential Listing Service (RLS) instead.

Question 34

Is there an open house app that imports OneKey MLS listings?

Accepted Answer

Yes. EcoAdmin imports listings directly from OneKey® MLS. Search by address or listing ID, pull in the photos, price, beds, baths and description, and create the open house and its sign-in page from that listing.

Question 35

How much does an open house sign-in app cost?

Accepted Answer

It ranges from free to custom-quoted. Curb Hero is free for individual agents, Lone Wolf Spacio doesn't publish a price, and EcoAdmin's Open House plan costs $14.99 a month for one agent with a 14-day free trial and everything included.

Question 36

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Open House plan starts with a 14-day free trial, so you can run your next open house on it before paying.

Question 37

Can I cancel anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. There's no contract. Cancel from your account settings and the cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

Question 38

How is billing handled?

Accepted Answer

Plans bought on the EcoAdmin website are billed monthly through Stripe. Subscriptions bought in the iPhone app are billed and managed by Apple.

Question 39

Is visitor data secure?

Accepted Answer

EcoAdmin encrypts sensitive information, including transaction documents, in transit and at rest, and limits access with role-based permissions.

Question 40

Does EcoAdmin sell visitor or agent data?

Accepted Answer

No. EcoAdmin doesn't sell personal information and doesn't use it for targeted advertising.

Question 41

How do I delete my EcoAdmin account?

Accepted Answer

In the app go to Settings › Account › Delete Account, or email hello@ecoadmin.co. Deleting your account doesn't cancel a subscription bought through the App Store; cancel that in your Apple account.

Question 42

How do I contact EcoAdmin or book a demo?

Accepted Answer

Email hello@ecoadmin.co or book a 15-minute demo.

Open house sign-in