Open houses have long been a traditional way to showcase a home for sale. On any given weekend, you can check the real estate listings and find several properties that are opening their doors to visitors.

The tactic has become somewhat controversial. Detractors see open houses as little more than a networking opportunity for the listing agent, or a chance for nosy neighbors to tour a home they have no actual interest in buying. But there are also proponents of open houses, who say someone was convinced to make an offer after visiting the property at a public event.

Sellers will get plenty of advice on how they should prepare their home and advertise the open house. Another crucial question they need to consider is when the open house will take place, and how long it will last.

Traditionally, open houses are scheduled over the weekend. Many people get Saturday and Sunday off and are willing to dedicate some time to visiting a listing or two. Elizabeth Weintraub, writing for the financial site The Balance, recommends Sunday afternoons as an ideal time for an open house.

Two hours can often be an adequate length for an open house. Lisa Ryan, an agent writing for the real estate community ActiveRain, says the first hour is generally pretty quiet, while an uptick of visitors in the last half-hour is not uncommon.

If you don't mind being away from your home for a long time while the open house is taking place, you can easily schedule a longer open house. Weintraub says four hours is usually adequate, but that some agents will work together to run an open house through the day.

On the other hand, a brief open house can help minimize any inconvenience. Brandon Jones, writing for the real estate site Inman News, says you might get good results with an hour-long open house taking place on the weekday.

Some buyers have to work on the weekend or otherwise have conflicts, so they won't be able to make it to a Saturday or Sunday open house. Weekend open houses also have more competition, so buyers may decide to skip your event in favor of others. By scheduling a short open house over a weekday lunch hour, you'll have minimal competition and can appeal to buyers looking to get out of the office for awhile.

Since several open houses could be taking place on the same day as your event, you might have better luck scheduling it for an unusual time. Ryan suggests that you start about an hour later than other open houses set for the same day.

Many open houses end at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Dana Dratch, writing for the financial site Bankrate, says that by having your event end at 5 p.m., you can easily pick up a larger crowd from buyers who want to check out one more property before they call it a day. If your home has beautiful sunset views or other amenities that are best seen in the evening, you can set your open house even later.

Avoid scheduling your open house on a holiday or other day when people are less likely to visit, such as Super Bowl Sunday. Weintraub says you should also check the forecast and try to avoid scheduling the event on a day with dreary or potentially hazardous weather conditions.