Here we are in February, the traditional month that real estate Open Houses kick off the season! There are Garden Shows, Car Shows and Home Shows are being held or scheduled and the home buying public is stirring to get out to Open Houses.
In today’s electronic world most home buyers have already ‘searched the net’ to locate the homes they may choose to visit. And many also add the ‘community drive thru’ on their list of weekend activities.
As a potential home buyer, let me share some important ideas that can make your Open House visit even more productive.
The typical Open House experience lasts about 10 minutes. That is not a lot of time but, if probably used, can certainly be enough to gain some important information.
Here are some ideas to maximize your visit:
- Greet your host and let them know your full names and where you live now
- Tell them what your status is in your home search…just beginning, have visited a number of communities
- Tell them what you are looking for in the ‘style’ of a new home – ranch home design or 2-story home design or 1st floor Primary Suite
- Do you have a preference for a specific school district or desire to live near other family
- Do you have to sell your current home and if so, is it listed for sale.
- Have you been to talk with a lender to determine what price of new home you can afford based on mortgage payments & taxes
- Lastly, please assist your host by allowing them to write down your names, address, phone and e-mail address.
Those are just a few of the ideas that can make your Open House experience a winning experience. After all, your time is short and you will be walking through the home and it all can be a bit overwhelming.
You may that you have departed without getting answers or you may have departed and not given your host enough information to fully serve you in your search for information.
And remember, your host is always available to meet you at your convenience, away from the Open House, in a general sales office environment to introduce you to all of the quality materials used in building your new home and to allow you to see, first hand, the wide variety of selections in products available to you.
An Open House visit can be a great experience for both you and the Builder…all it takes is a little bit of preparation on your part as a Buyer!