ELGIN – Is holding an open house during the holidays a waste of time, or can it really help sell your home? Many home sellers and real estate agents will be asking themselves that question in the weeks to come.

To offer some guidance, the Re/Max Northern Illinois real estate network asked a sampling of its agents who regularly hold open houses at other times of the year for their views on the issue.

The primary reason to hold an open house during the period from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, the agents agreed, is that anyone who stops in is probably eager to purchase a home.