Open House Flyer Design: Layout and Tips
An open house flyer has a different job than a standard listing sheet: it is an event invitation. The date, time, and address have to land first, because a beautiful flyer that buries the “when” fails at the one thing it exists to do. This guide covers the layout order, exact sizes, font and print specs, and template tips so your open house flyers actually fill the room.
Open house flyers are one piece of a connected system. For how they fit with signage, listing sheets, and your logo, see our pillar guide to real estate branding.
How an Open House Flyer Differs from a Listing Flyer
A listing flyer sells the property over time; an open house flyer drives attendance to a specific event. That changes the hierarchy. On a listing flyer the price and photos dominate. On an open house flyer the event details — “Open House,” the day, the time window, and the address — share top billing with the hero photo, because the reader needs to decide whether to show up this weekend.
You can build the open house version directly from your listing flyer template by swapping in an event banner. For the underlying listing sheet, see our real estate flyer design guide; the general principles in our flyer design primer apply here too.
The Layout Order
Structure the flyer so a passerby grasps the event in two seconds and the property in ten:
- Event banner. “OPEN HOUSE” in bold type across the top or as a corner flag — the immediate signal that this is an event.
- Date and time. Large and unmissable: e.g., “Saturday, June 14 · 1–4 PM.” This is the most-missed element on amateur flyers.
- Hero photo. One strong, professional exterior shot so people recognize the house on the street.
- Address. Full street address, large enough to read and to navigate to.
- Price and key stats. Beds, baths, square footage, and a standout feature.
- Short description. Two to three benefit-led sentences.
- Agent + brokerage block. Headshot, name, phone, email, brokerage lockup, and license number.
- Optional QR code. Linking to the full listing or an RSVP.
Sizes and Formats
Open house materials come in a few sizes depending on where they go:
- US Letter, 8.5×11: the standard handout for the kitchen counter, sign-in table, and rider flyer box.
- Postcard, 4×6 / 5×7 / 6×9: for “You’re Invited” mailers to the surrounding neighborhood; 5×7 and 6×9 qualify for USPS EDDM.
- Yard/directional signs and riders: an “OPEN HOUSE” rider (typically 6×24) on your for-sale sign and arrow signs to guide drive-by traffic — see our yard sign design guide.
- Social graphics: square (1080×1080) and story (1080×1920) versions for Instagram and Facebook event promotion.
Typography
Make the event details the loudest type on the page. Use a bold sans-serif for the “OPEN HOUSE” banner and the date/time so they read at a glance — Inter in bold (free, Google Fonts) is a clean, dependable choice. Keep body copy and stats in the same family or a complementary serif, and ensure the license number and brokerage line stay legible at roughly 9–10pt. Use one or two type sizes for the event block so the date and time never compete with each other. Match the fonts to the rest of your brand rather than picking new ones per event.
Color and Contrast
An open house flyer often gets read quickly — on a sign-in table, taped to a window, or as a thumbnail online — so favor high contrast. A bold, contrasting event banner color makes “OPEN HOUSE” pop while the rest stays on-brand. Keep the palette tied to your brand and brokerage colors; the banner is the one place a brighter accent earns its keep.
Print Specs
| Spec | Setting |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 DPI for print |
| Color mode | CMYK for commercial print; RGB for screen/email and social |
| Bleed | 0.125″ (1/8″) if color/photos run to the edge |
| Safe margin | Keep event text ~0.25″ from the trim edge |
| Format | Print-ready PDF for the printer; high-res PDF/PNG for digital |
If you only print on the office laser printer, RGB at 300 DPI is fine, but convert to CMYK and add bleed before sending postcards or larger runs to a commercial printer.
Template Tips
- Build one master template with a swappable event banner so you can produce a flyer for any listing in minutes.
- Create a checklist: day, date, time window, full address, price — confirm all five are present and large before printing.
- Make matching print and social versions at once so your in-person and online promotion look identical.
- Always include the brokerage line and license number — often legally required; verify your state and MLS rules.
- Proof one copy and read it from across the room before ordering a run.
Tools
Canva is the fastest way to produce open house flyers and matching social graphics, with editable templates and a Brand Kit to keep fonts, colors, and logo consistent. Adobe InDesign gives precise typographic and print control if you run a fuller template system, and Photoshop handles photo cleanup. Whichever you use, design once as a reusable template and just swap the photo, address, and event details per open house.
Think of the flyer as the hub of a small campaign rather than a standalone sheet. The same artwork should flow outward into a Facebook event graphic, an Instagram story with a “swipe up” or link sticker, a postcard to the surrounding blocks, and the “OPEN HOUSE” rider and arrow signs that route weekend traffic to the door. When every channel carries the identical date, time, and hero image, the promotion feels coordinated and trustworthy, and a buyer who half-noticed the post online recognizes the same flyer when they pull up to the curb.
Keep the whole on-site experience consistent — pair this with property brochure design for premium listings so the sign-in table, brochure, and flyer all speak with one voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should an open house flyer include?
An “OPEN HOUSE” banner, the date and time window, a hero photo, the full address, price and key stats, a short description, and your agent block with headshot, contact details, brokerage lockup, and license number. The date, time, and address must be the most prominent details after the banner.
What size should an open house flyer be?
US Letter, 8.5×11 inches, is the standard for handouts and sign-rider boxes. Use postcard sizes (4×6, 5×7, 6×9) for neighborhood “You’re Invited” mailers, and create matching square and story graphics for social. Design at 300 DPI with bleed if color runs to the edge.
How is an open house flyer different from a listing flyer?
A listing flyer sells the property over time, so price and photos dominate. An open house flyer promotes a specific event, so the date, time, and address share top billing with the hero photo. You can build the open house version from your listing template by adding an event banner.
Can I make an open house flyer in Canva?
Yes. Canva has editable open house flyer templates plus matching social formats, and a Brand Kit to lock your fonts, colors, and logo. Build one master template with a swappable event banner, then change the photo and event details per listing. Export a high-resolution PDF for printing.
What is the most common open house flyer mistake?
Burying or omitting the date, time, or address. Because the flyer is an event invitation, those details must be large and unmissable. Run a quick checklist before printing to confirm the day, date, time window, full address, and price are all present and prominent.
