Several hundred homes offered for sale around King County will be open for previewing on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11 as part of a nationwide Realtors Open House.

The homes will be flagged with blue REALTOR balloons.

The goal for Realtors is to double or triple the number of open houses on a typical weekend.

Prospective home buyers can plan self-directed tours of open houses without being escorted by an agent. Most Realtor brokerages participate in the “Public Open House Service” of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. When visiting a participating brokerage’s website, 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.