Host an Open House on Super Bowl Weekend and Sell Your Place Faster

There’s a secret that real estate agents have known for years now: Super Bowl weekend is the unofficial kick-off of the selling season. 

While the first day of spring is still over a month away, February typically sees buyers starting to get serious about house hunting.

That’s why, if you’re ready to sell, being prepped for an open house on Sunday, Feb. 9 could help you lure in a buyer even faster—before the real competition starts. 

Super Bowl weekend starts the spring selling season 

While spring is undoubtedly the most popular time to sell a house, right after the new year is when a lot of potential buyers start to take stock of their finances.

“I often find this is the time of year first-time buyers start expressing interest in homeownership,” notes Libby Levinson, a broker associate with Kentwood Real Estate in Denver, CO. She explains that holiday family gatherings often plant the seed. 

Gretchen Rosenberg, president and CEO of Kentwood Real Estate, agrees: “We always say the lights come back on around the Super Bowl.”

Once the ideas spark, it’s good to remember that sellers can take advantage of more buyer attention and less competition if they list in February.

“Buyers return to the market more significantly than sellers in February, so active inventory gets snagged by eager buyers,” explains Realtor.com® Senior Economic Research Analyst Hannah Jones.

“February may be attractive for some sellers who want to catch the warming market on the early side.”

NFL fans say their team loyalty influenced their home search

About 1 in 5 NFL followers say their loyalty played an extremely significant or highly significant role in their home search process, according to recent research from Realtor.com.

Additionally, a majority (55%) say that supporting a local team helps them feel more connected to their community and neighborhood.

Among NFL fans surveyed, 18% say their loyalty highly or extremely influenced their search for specific locations, such as a certain city or neighborhood near a stadium. Additionally, Gen Z and millennial followers were the most likely to say that their fandom influenced their home search. 

The 2025 Super Bowl matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs is poised to be quite the showdown.

The biggest game of the season will take place at the Caesars Superdome, home of the Saints, in New Orleans; and fans from all over the nation are flocking to the Big Easy. Selling a home in any of these areas may start to see relatively higher buyer attention from fans looking to be closer to the action and their fellow fans.

Hosting an open house on Super Bowl weekend is a good idea

The Super Bowl is an incredible “hook” for selling a home. With the big game on the brain, people often start looking at new homes good for entertaining. Got a great rec room or den? You can highlight all the possibilities of the space under the guise of the big game.

It also doesn’t hurt if you’re selling a home in the same city as one of the teams playing.

According to the Realtor.com survey, 66% of NFL fans asked agreed that having neighbors in their community support the same team makes watching football feel more fun. And that’s what you can sell when you host an open house during the Super Bowl: fun!

“A Super Bowl–themed open house can always be a great idea, depending on where you live and the teams in the game,” says Cara Ameer, a broker associate with Coldwell Banker in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. 

However, she cautions that sellers should schedule their open house on Saturday or else early Sunday—well before game time.

“You’ll want to make it early to allow people to get back for whatever their plans are later that day,” Ameer advises, adding that this is also so sellers can enjoy their Super Bowl festivities, too.

“I have had situations when a home has been on the market where the sellers did not want showings after 3 p.m. the day of the Super Bowl as they were getting ready to host a party,” Ameer explains.

However, a word of caution when it comes to decorating: Beware of buyers who root for another team!

“There’s a lot you can do from a marketing perspective, but unless you are in one of the Super Bowl contenders’ cities, keep in mind that not everyone is passionate about various teams for whatever reason,” Ameer warns. 

“While I’ve never had someone not buy a house due to the team paraphernalia displayed, they certainly remark on it, then say, ‘Well, I’m not sure if I can buy this house’—with a bit of a wink and a smile.”

Additional reporting provided by Liz Alterman.