Selling a house in St. Catharines this winter: is an open house worth it?
Why winter open houses still make sense
Yifei doesn't buy the idea that you shouldn't sell in winter. The way he puts it, winter isn't slow the whole way through; the real dead zone is about a month around Christmas, and there's still a wave before December 20. He recalls that from November 20 to December 3, 2025, he was closing a deal almost every day.
Yes, there are fewer buyers out. But someone viewing homes in the cold usually isn't just browsing. They're relocating for work or their lease is ending, and they need to move. Some even plan their trip around winter: one client with PR, living overseas and looking in St. Catharines for a house with a basement to rent out, planned to fly back in winter to see homes all at once. If buyers want to come, shutting the door just pushes them away.
When to hold one, and when not to
| Situation | Open house? |
|---|---|
| Just listed | Yes, the first weekend |
| Just reduced the price | Yes, the very next Saturday and Sunday |
| About December 20 to January 20 | No, but still take showing requests |
| Already held one, people came, no offers | Wait a week and watch showings |
| Tenant-occupied, hard to arrange | Showings only |
Before a winter open house
- Get the seller's consent in writing the day before. A text is fine; it leaves a record.
- If the home is tenanted, give the tenant written notice at least 24 hours ahead, stating the reason, the date and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. That's required under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act.
- Post the open house on MLS so buyers and their agents can see it.
- It gets dark early, so go with 2 to 4 p.m. and turn on every light.
- Clear the driveway and sidewalk once the snow stops and salt the steps. St. Catharines already requires the sidewalk cleared to bare pavement within 24 hours of snow or ice.
- Put out shoe covers or a boot mat, turn the heat up a bit and have feature sheets ready.
What Yifei has seen
On one listing, Yifei told the seller to skip the open house that week and watch showings first. The plan they settled on: once the seller decided on a price change, hold an open house the very next weekend and see whether showings picked up. The morning before, Yifei got the seller's go-ahead by text; by 2 p.m. the occupants had written notice, and the team had posted the Sunday 2 to 4 p.m. open house on MLS and put together the feature sheets.
Another home, after a price change, had 2 showings in a week and 6 groups through the open house, with no offers. An open house can get people in the door. If they come and don't bid, look at the price and the house itself; the season isn't the problem.
And one St. Catharines home had only drawn 2 offers. The read at the time was that it was partly winter, and partly that it wasn't the kind of home that moves most in that city.
Frequently asked questions
Should I still hold an open house during a snowstorm?
If the roads are passable, yes. Clear the driveway, sidewalk and steps first. If it's unsafe, reschedule and update the time on MLS.
What about around Christmas?
Yifei skips open houses from about December 20 to January 20, when people are busy with the holidays. Keep taking showing requests.
I held an open house and got no offers. Now what?
Give it a week and watch showings. Plenty of traffic but no offers usually points to price or layout. For whether to list in winter at all, see Should I wait until spring to sell in Niagara?
Want advice for your own house?
Your street, whether someone lives there and how long you've been listed all change the plan. For your own situation, reach Yifei (RE/MAX) at efay.ai.
Sources
- St. Catharines, sidewalk snow removal: https://www.stcatharines.ca/roads-parking-and-traffic/snow-removal/sidewalk-snow-removal/
- Landlord and Tenant Board, Interpretation Guideline 19 (landlord's right of entry): https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/ltb/Interpretation%20Guidelines/19%20-%20The%20Landlords%20Right%20of%20Entry%20into%20a%20Rental%20Unit.html