5 Reasons to Go to Open Houses Before You’re Ready to Buy.

Touring homes for sale isn’t something to save for when you’re ready to sign an offer. The more prepared you are, the faster you’ll be able to act when the time comes. Even if you’re still learning how to fund a home purchase or what type of mortgage is right for you, open houses are opportunities to save time later.

Discover what matters most to you

Buying a home is a big deal and most buyers start with equally big wish lists. Daydreaming about everything you can get in a property—shiplap and barn doors, guest suites and master wings, 3-car garages and she sheds, lush yards and mature trees—is fun, and we encourage it.

Touring homes is the perfect time to put your list to the test. Can you fall in love with a home that lacks a 5-piece master bath? If you had to choose, would you opt for updated kitchen counters or updated plumbing? Are popcorn ceilings a deal breaker?

The best way to find out is to “meet” as many homes in person as possible. When it comes time to make a move, you’ll know exactly what to prioritize.

Find out what your budget can buy

Browsing listings to get a look at homes in your price range is useful, but there’s only so much you can tell from photos. One home buyer we talked to got excited about a home with a mother-in-law suite in the basement, which seemed like a great bonus for her budget. When she toured the home, she found out that the suite was accessible only from the backyard … and suddenly the price made sense.

This isn’t to say you should restrict your ahead-of-time shopping too much. There’s value in visiting reach homes to get a sense of what you should expect to find across the spectrum. That way, you’ll know a great deal when you see one!

Keep an eye on the final sale price of each home you tour, too. This is a great way to understand your local market. The list price and the sale price tell a story about whether the home was priced above or below its value as determined by what buyers were willing to pay.

Get design ideas

Homes for sale are often staged to look great, which means you can easily find looks to borrow for your current home or the one you’ll eventually buy. We recently saw a home brightened drastically by one small change: painting the front door yellow to complement the home’s grey siding (the door was originally white). Suddenly, the whole exterior really popped!

Stagers know how to get the most bang for their buck, so many of their ideas can be accomplished cheaply or even for free. For example, it’s common to float furniture in a staged room instead of putting it all against a wall. This trick can create a cozy feeling, define a footpath, maximize the square footage, or even distract from a lack of wall space.

Explore new neighborhoods

Late morning and early afternoon on weekends are popular times for open houses. Conveniently, they’re also the perfect time to try out a new brunch, lunch, or coffee spot! Checking out a home or two in a neighborhood you don’t often spend time in gives you the chance to enjoy what it has to offer.

Clients we worked with spent every weekend for a few months visiting a different neighborhood in their city, trying to decide which one was the best fit. They got to know parks, playgrounds, restaurants, and shops. Now that they’ve settled into their ‘hood, they still visit their favorite places with their young daughter when they’re in the mood to mix up their routine.

Surprise yourself

There’s an emotional piece to choosing which home to buy. The right home feels right … and so does the right inspiration home. We all have ideas about the kind of home we want to live in, but it’s only by considering a variety of actual homes that we can find out how we react when we walk through each door.

Cast a wide net when you’re touring homes to leave yourself open to surprises. Your gut may tell you that you’re a charming craftsman instead of the farmhouse you’ve always thought you were.