There are many advantages for buyers to attend open houses. Below is a list of some of the biggest benefits:
Seeing is believing
Some maintain that, since the creation of virtual tours on the Internet, the open house has lost its luster and necessity. Still, there is no way for a buyer to effectively see what a home has to offer without physically visiting. While virtual tours can highlight many of the positive features of a home for sale, an open house remains an effective choice for a buyer.
Feeling is believing
If you are an experienced homeowner, you understand this issue. You see a home featured in a respected real estate magazine. It looks wonderful. You visit at an open house and it’s all the real estate advertising said it would be. Yet, it simply doesn’t feel right for you. If you’re married, you may even say to your spouse, “This home is fabulous, but I couldn’t live here.” A house must feel right to you to motivate you to make an offer. An open house can help give you the answer you need to know if this house is for you.
Developing a feel for the neighborhood
All the print, visual, and Internet images available cannot give you a sense or feel for the neighborhood in which prospective homes are located. An open house gives you the opportunity to cruise the neighborhood before and after you tour the property to get a good picture and feel for the neighborhood. Is it impressive? Comfortable? Friendly? Intimidating? While you may not get to know the neighbors on a Sunday open house visit, you can see how your potential neighbors treat their property.
A chance to do more in less time
Instead of making appointments every two days for three weeks to see homes in which you may have interest, you can view three or four in a few hours. This helps keep features and drawbacks of different properties fresh in your mind.
Open houses can offer buyers a more hands on look and feel for prospective purchases than the best virtual Internet tours. People who are seriously looking to buy should be diligent and look carefully at all rooms and amenities offered by these homes. Take notes and compare multiple properties in one day’s efforts.
Check out our updated list of Open Houses on our site.
