{"id":14538,"date":"2023-11-03T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=14538"},"modified":"2023-11-29T16:33:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T00:33:59","slug":"buyer-open-house-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Open House Tips to Make the Absolute Most Out of Your Search"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re trying to find your dream home, here\u2019s the truth: Driving around and looking for open houses<\/a> is not the most effective way to shop. Only 4% of all recent buyers<\/a> found the home they ended up purchasing through an open house sign, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).<\/p>\n

A larger percentage found their home online (51%) or via their real estate agent (29%). Yet, 53% of buyers still use information from an open house to inform their home search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Ready to start shopping for a home?<\/h3>\n

A top-rated agent can help you negotiate a great deal, spot red flags, and introduce you to homes that best suit your needs. Find an amazing real estate agent in your area using HomeLight today.<\/p>\n \n

\n Learn More<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We\u2019ll cover how to narrow your list of visits, give you some open house tips, strategies to make your tours efficient and thorough, and ways to make every open house worth your time.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

1. Create a plan of attack<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re on a mission, time-block your open house visits. If you find one open house you\u2019re interested in, check for any other events happening in the same area simultaneously, and knock out a few tours in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n

Data from HomeLight shows that around two-thirds of top agents (66.6%) believe that the most critical factor in the success of an open house<\/a> is marketing the event online.<\/p>\n

There are many real estate sites and apps to choose from, but Homesnap makes it easy to find open houses \u2014 and communicate about homes you like with other people involved in your home search such as your partner and real estate agent.<\/p>\n

You can simply go to the Homesnap website, enter your search location<\/a> and price point, and it will create a list of homes for sale. From there, you can filter for open houses by different time frames (Any date, today, tomorrow, Saturday, or this weekend). In the example below, we searched for open houses in Chicago:<\/p>\n

If you want to zoom in on a certain neighborhood (In this case we drilled down into Logan Square open houses), use the \u201cDraw Custom Area\u201d tool to set your radius.<\/p>\n

From there, you\u2019ll be able to see where open houses are happening on the map and be able to click through to find out more information about each listing:<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

2. Center your search around good school districts<\/h2>\n

One way to narrow down your list of open houses is by school district. Even if you\u2019re not a parent, buying a house in a good school district is a wise investment. According to data from NAR\u2019s Moving with Kids report, 53% of homebuyers with kids say that school quality is an essential factor in their decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, one study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for every $1 increase in per-pupil school spending, relevant property values increased by $20<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can find school ratings on most house listings and check websites like Niche<\/a> and GreatSchools<\/a>. But Todd Auslander<\/a>, a top real estate agent in Stamford, Connecticut, also recommends calling up the head of the local school\u2019s Parent Teacher Association (PTA<\/a>) to gain valuable information on how the school\u2019s performing.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to find the head of the PTA for the neighborhood school is to visit the school\u2019s website. Most school websites have a tab called \u201cparents\u201d or PTA. The local PTA will list an email address and name or a link to the Facebook page or website where you can find the contact information of board members.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

3. Make every open house a learning experience<\/h2>\n

Open houses can be a fantastic way to get familiar with the local real estate landscape. Unlike house showings, which require an appointment, you can drop by just to check things out in the name of research. Treat each event like an opportunity to understand the lay of the land better, even if you know immediately upon walking in that you won\u2019t be making an offer.<\/p>\n

The more homes you tour, the better you\u2019ll know which layouts, styles, and features are common for the area and what you can get for various price points. For example, you might learn that a $25,000 budget increase in the starter home range can mean the difference between a house you\u2019re proud to own versus a fixer-upper in your market. Then you can figure out whether it\u2019s worth waiting a bit to buy until you\u2019re in a stronger financial position or if it\u2019d be worth the budget stretch to get the house you want.<\/p>\n

Having this point of reference also helps you identify a great deal. Once you\u2019ve toured a bunch of duds, you can spot a gem when you see one.<\/p>\n

Stick to touring homes that are at least within throwing distance of your budget. Popping into a million-dollar open house on a Sunday afternoon is a fun pastime, but if you\u2019re working with a $300,000 budget? Not the best use of your limited time.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

4. Take notes and grab a listing sheet from each event<\/h2>\n

Depending on how many open houses you attend, various homes will blur together in your mind. So, feel free to take notes on what you see that the owner perhaps didn\u2019t share in the listing: Are the floors a little beat up? Does the yard back into a busy road? Is the shower curtain hiding an unsightly accordion door from the \u201870s that you\u2019d need to rip out?<\/p>\n

Most open houses will have a listing sheet containing information about the house you can take. The listing sheet will feature photos of the home and all its basic information (beds, baths, square footage) for easy reference. In addition to taking your own notes, be sure to pick one up before you leave. Then store all your listing sheets in a folder to stay organized throughout your hunt and make it easy to review what you\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

5. Don\u2019t break the house rules<\/h2>\n

When you arrive at an open house, knock before you enter and look for other instructions for guests in the entryway. You may be asked to take your shoes off, so wear footwear that you can slip easily (and wear socks that day so you aren\u2019t wandering around barefoot).<\/p>\n

And overall, just be courteous and follow basic open-house etiquette<\/a>. It\u2019s a great idea to take photos as you go through the house, but ask the listing agent if it\u2019s OK before you start acting like the paparazzi.<\/p>\n

Feel free to check out the closets, however, avoid rifling through medicine cabinets like this is a crime scene. Don\u2019t let your kids run wild. If you\u2019re asked to provide some basic info about yourself, then go with the flow.<\/p>\n

\u201cListing agents are most likely going to ask you to sign in and put your name and phone number down,\u201d says Auslander.<\/p>\n

Good manners will make the listing agent more receptive to you if you make an offer. In a situation with multiple buyers, sticking with the etiquette can help you stand out.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":38930,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,638,699],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-house-hunting","category-open-house"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n9 Open House Tips for Homebuyers on a Mission!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"9 Open House Tips to Make the Absolute Most Out of Your Search\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-03T15:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-30T00:33:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amber Roshay\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amber Roshay\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"9 Open House Tips for Homebuyers on a Mission!","description":"Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"9 Open House Tips to Make the Absolute Most Out of Your Search","og_description":"Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2023-11-03T15:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-30T00:33:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Amber Roshay","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gohomelight","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amber Roshay","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/"},"author":{"name":"Amber Roshay","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/124869cb6c5d59a40716166db2856e24"},"headline":"9 Open House Tips to Make the Absolute Most Out of Your Search","datePublished":"2023-11-03T15:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-30T00:33:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/"},"wordCount":1219,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png","articleSection":["Buyers","House Hunting","Open Houses"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/","name":"9 Open House Tips for Homebuyers on a Mission!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png","datePublished":"2023-11-03T15:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-30T00:33:59+00:00","description":"Follow these open house tips to make these events as productive as possible and avoid wasting time on homes that aren\u2019t a great fit.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/open-house-tips.png","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Source: (antoniodiaz \/ Shutterstock)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-open-house-tips\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"9 Open House Tips to Make the Absolute Most Out of Your Search"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America's Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/124869cb6c5d59a40716166db2856e24","name":"Amber Roshay","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/03b7b9cf3cc1dcf97a39fb3a56d2a3fd613f6a4fb3b8e8406cb2c6b4ce575dfb?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/03b7b9cf3cc1dcf97a39fb3a56d2a3fd613f6a4fb3b8e8406cb2c6b4ce575dfb?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Amber Roshay"},"description":"Amber Roshay is a content marketing writer and educator. Since uprooting from the mountains of Arizona to the beaches of California, her writing has appeared on several websites covering many topics. While she\u2019s up for any project, she specializes in home and family, health, and education.","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/amber-roshay\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}