Are you getting ready to attend an open house? Below are some tips and tricks for standing out amongst the crowd at an open house!
As you prepare to make an offer, it’s important to visit the properties you’re interested in. So, what should you do prior to attending an open house?
1. Prepare your wish list. These are the things you know you want in your home. It may include a specific number of rooms, the type of backyard, the size of the kitchen, the layout and other key details. It is important to have this wish list in your back pocket when visiting a home. After you learn about your local market, you may need to adjust your wishlist. Have a conversation with your agent after you have seen some homes to talk about what is possible.
2. Stand out amongst the crowd. You can do this by learning more about the seller and the property. Talk to the seller’s agent. Ask them questions about the home - what updates did the seller recently do? Ask about the neighborhood - was there anything, in particular, the seller loved? Ask about the sellers themselves - why are they looking to sell? You may pick up on pieces of information that allow you to make a more informed decision about the property and also allow you to add a personal connection piece to your buyer’s letter.
3. Look for what an inspector would see. Ask your agent to explain and show you the details you should be looking at when visiting an open house. This includes moist walls, mold in the bathroom, creaky floorboards, remodel quality etc. Your agent has tons of experience visiting open houses and can be helpful in providing tips for when you visit one without them. You can even ask the seller’s agent about the repairs and improvements that have been done and if there is anything they are expecting to come up on the inspection report.
4. Learn more about the neighborhood. In addition to visiting the home for an open house, visit the neighborhood at different times throughout the day and week to understand what traffic patterns look like, how noisy it can get at any given time and anything else you would want to know prior to making an offer.
There’s a lot to look out for, so it may be helpful to take your phone for pictures, a measuring tape to see if your new couch will fit in the living room or a pen and paper to take some notes. Additionally, note that when a seller is selling their home, they are incentivized to make their home appear incredibly nice - do your best to look past the staging and visualize how you would feel living there!
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