As a buyer, visiting open houses is a helpful way for you to see several homes that might meet your needs, in a short timeframe. It’s also a great way to understand different neighborhoods, and pricing for houses in those neighborhoods.
I host quite a few open houses on a yearly basis and typically I’ll see something new at each open house. These are the tips I’ve come up with for buyers to get the most out of an open house and make your visit enjoyable for both you and the sellers.
Please Do…
1. Sign in. You are a guest in the home and it is nice for the homeowner to know who stopped by their house.
2. Ask questions. Want to know something about the mechanicals of the house? How about potential for changing a floor plan or room use? Some agents have very good vision and can help you see alternate uses that would better fit your needs and lifestyle. Take advantage of their skills.
3. Talk to the neighbors about the neighborhood. They will tell you what they like about the street and what they don’t. Try to talk to a few people to get a balanced view.
4. Take measurements if you need to. Some people have large pieces of furniture that they can’t live without. Will the house accomodate them? Carry a small tape measure with you for quick measurements.
5. Tell me what you do and don’t like about the house. Maybe I have suggestions for how to overcome the “don’t likes.” This feedback is also helpful for me to give to the seller. If we see a pattern of “don’t likes,” it may be necessary to address them, if possible.
6. Stay as long as you like. Some people are in and out of a house in 5 minutes. Others stay for an hour talking about room possibilities or looking over every nook and cranny. If you are staying a long time, please just don’t ask the agent a lot of personal questions. The “creepy” factor comes in to play and agents have actually called the police in the past.
7. Watch your children. We encourage sellers to remove valuables and breakables to avoid any problems, but it’s important to make sure kids aren’t touching personal items. Also, please encourage them to walk through the house and speak in a quiet voice.
Please Don’t…
1. Take anything from the home, other than the paperwork provided by the agent. Seriously, this means no fruit from fruit bowls in the kitchen, flowers from the inside or outside of the house, pet toys, etc. Would you want an unknown person helping themselves to your things? Probably not. Please extend the same courtesy to the sellers.
2. Ask to use the bathroom or use the bathroom without asking. There are lots of people in the house. They are opening doors to see what is behind each of them. No one wants to be involved in an embarassing moment.
3. Ask me what the sellers do for a living. It really has no bearing on whether or not you like the house.
4. Open furniture drawers. Looking in cabinets to understand storage space and quality of craftsmanship is fine. Opening someone’s clothes dresser that will not be sold with the house is not.
5. Ask me if the house is overpriced. I represent the sellers and will never tell you that a house is overpriced. Ever. Even if in my opinion it is. If you’re interested in the house, I would always encourage you to work with your buyer’s agent to put in an offer. They will help you understand if the pricing is fair and we will work together to try and get you and the sellers on the same page.
Happy open housing!