A bit of ancient history but from two hot markets in Bergen County, NJ- commuting distance to NYC.
When the Ex and I put the house up for sale in 1997, we had multiple offers over the asking price. Apparently you have to be very careful about appearing to accept one but our realtor was a pro. She went back to the bidders and asked that they each submit a "best and final offer" and we chose from those. No regrets at all- the Ex desperately needed his share of the equity and I wanted to get on with my life.
I bought a smaller place, same town. Put it on the market in 2003 because I was relocating. Another bidding war right after the Open House- I accepted the top offer from a family that actually included a letter introducing themselves, talking about how much they loved the house, and telling me what their kids aspired to be when they grew up. (It was because they had the highest offer). They turned out to be very difficult during the inspection, and backed out. Fortunately, the people who made the second-highest offer still wanted it. (The wife told me later she'd been praying that the first deal would fall through.) They were great to deal with and their inspector not only couldn't find some of the things the previous one found, but noticed termite damage the previous guy missed. It turned out those first buyers had backed out of another house deal before mine.
I agree that you should take advantage of the initial excitement and accept the offer with the best combination of price and contingencies.
On nosy neighbors going through the Open house- been there, done that. Hey, I want to know how mine compares to yours and what that might mean for my market value. I always tell the realtor the truth and don't waste their time.