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Home Touring and Open House Tips

Taking a photo of the exterior of a house.

As a first time home buyer, you may not know some of the Do’s and Don’t of touring a home, whether that’s going to open houses or a private tour with an agent. We’ll go over 8 do’s and 8 don’ts about touring homes, and talk about some key points to help you make the most of your time and experience.

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  1. Bring your real estate agent to an open house. If you don’t have an agent yet, we can help. Reach out via our contact page, or we’ve partnered with Home&Money, go to https://homeandmoney.com/FTHB/ and we’ll help connect you with a local, vetted agent.
  2. Research the area and neighborhood prior to the open house visit.
  3. Take detailed notes about each house to help you remember your thoughts and feelings about each home.
  4. Highlight any features that you like or dislike, repairs needed, etc.
  5. Ask questions of the real estate agent to get a better understanding of what is included in the sale of the house and any additional costs associated with it.
  6. Make sure you check the layout of the house, such as flow between rooms and door locations, in addition to looking at finishes and features.
  7. Take pictures or videos of the house to remember your thoughts and feelings about each home. 
  8. Do keep all children supervised at all times.

Don’ts

  1. Don’t use the bathroom.
  2. Don’t talk about the home, good or bad, while near the home.
  3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or make comments about anything that you don’t understand – the real estate agents are there to help you!
  4. Don’t rush through the house – take your time and get a good feel for each room as this will help with decision making later on.
  5. Don’t enter a home if there isn’t an open house or you aren’t with an agent.
  6. You might be tempted to do your own inspection of the home.
  7. A peak into a closet is fine, but don’t look in places like medicine cabinets or jewelry boxes.
  8. Don’t enter closed rooms without asking.

We hope this helped make you feel more confident when touring homes.