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How to Ace an Open House

While some parts of the homebuying process can be tedious, one of the most fun parts is the actual home search itself. As anyone who has ever watched HGTV can attest, it can be very fun to tour a home and imagine yourself living in it.

An easy way to tour a home is by attending an open house. It’s a great way to get a look at a property in a pressure-free environment, but home shoppers also need to be careful not to allow their enthusiasm to get the better of them.

“You can get very excited going into an open house of a property you think you will like, and you can definitely overlook some things in the excitement of it all,” said Jerry Ashcraft, real estate salesperson at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty in Mount Dora, FL.

Ashcraft suggests that home shoppers take a “360” view when looking for a home, both literally and figuratively. He advises clients to go deeper than just what they see right in front of them, checking the condition of the ceilings, floors, walls, roof, etc. He also advises buyers to tour the neighborhood when looking at a specific property to get a feel for the area that they may be living in.