Open houses are a very useful tool for learning about a property. But it’s not just about walking in, taking a look around, and walking out. Full advantage of visiting an open house is achieved if you can time your visit when there are very few lookers roaming through the house. Too many visitors, and you won’t be able to take in details and may not have an opportunity to speak to the agent or homeowner. If you’re the only visitor, you might miss out on insights from others looking at the property from a different perspective.
You can also learn about more than just that one property. If you’re focused and paying attention, you can learn about an entire neighborhood just by visiting open houses. Observe your surroundings as you’re traveling and notice patterns in traffic and what the neighbors are doing. Once inside, use the information you learn not only to decide whether you want this home, but what some of your expectations can be for other homes in the area. This is particularly effective if you are visiting more than one open house in the same neighborhood. And this is just from the open houses — you can absolutely use this opportunity to directly speak to neighbors. Sometimes neighbors even visit open houses without any intent to buy.
Photo by Teagan Methorst on Unsplash