SOURCE: THE EVERYGIRL
If Saturdays are for the boys, then Sundays are for open houses 🙂 As real estate professionals, we spend the week getting our listings prepped for the weekend to make the best impression on our open house traffic. If you’ve never been to an open house and aren’t sure what to expect, there are a few things to keep in mind.
An open house is typically hosted by a licensed real estate agent. They are there to greet you and give you access to the home. You should know that during the open house the agent is legally representing the seller so their job is to protect the interests of the seller and market that property. This also goes for the listing agent. Often times, buyers will reach out to the listing agent personally to ask questions regarding the property. This is totally fine, but as a prospective buyer do your best to keep the details of your situation to a minimum. The listing agent and open house agent (sometimes the same person) will use the information you give them to situate their seller in the best position. Nothing wrong with a little chit-chat, but try not to express your level of interest or any information that may give them a leg up when it comes to negotiations if you decide to write an offer.
If you find yourself loving the home you’re touring and are contemplating submitting an offer, what do you do next? Our best advice is to call a reputable agent to help you with the transaction. As we mentioned before, the agent at the open house is there to represent the seller. You really want to ensure you hire your own representation to protect your interests. The seller will pay the commission of your real estate agent so why not select someone of your choosing. For a quick outline of what happens after you’ve found the home, check out our blog here (skip to step 5).
An open house is a great opportunity to tour homes at your leisure, but with an agent present representing the seller and other prospective buyers touring the property, it can get a little crowded. My clients prefer to have homes privately shown to them to be able to take their time in the home and not feel like someone is standing over their shoulder. We also want you to see homes when you want to see homes, not just wait for the open house. We once had a client that lost out on her dream home because she waited until the Sunday open house that never came. The home sold the same day it was listed which is not uncommon in our area. The story has a happy ending…she reached out to us after this experience and luckily we were able to find her something she loved just as much!
Often times, the open house you tour ends up not being the home you decide to purchase and that’s okay! Getting to know the area better and the different types of homes in the community will get you closer to finding the right home for you.
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