Realtors hold a special open-house weekend April 10-11

Seattle Times staff

Several hundred homes currently offered for sale around King County will be open for previewing next Saturday and Sunday.

Members of Seattle KingCounty Realtors are inviting prospective homebuyers to tour the listings as part of the first Realtor Nationwide Open House Weekend. The homes will be flagged with blue Realtor balloons.

Prospective homebuyers can plan self-directed tours of open houses without being escorted by an agent, said Russell Hokanson, CEO of the local Realtors association, adding they can also arrange their own itinerary using online tools.

When visiting a participating brokerage's Web site, consumers can click on an open-house symbol, and then specify certain criteria such as price range, number of bedrooms, and geographic preferences. A list of open houses that match the criteria, regardless of which brokerage has the listing, is produced so house hunters can plan their tour schedules and routes.