5 Ways Buyers Can Make the Most Out of Open Houses

Open houses are a great entrée into the home-buying process. They help you figure out what features are important to you in a home. Finding out what you don't like is just as important. Here's how to make the most of your time spent visiting open houses.

We have three open houses this Sunday.
Make sure they are on your route!
Here's info on the first one
at 3934 Eaglescliffe.

1. Figure out your price range. If you are visiting open houses with an eye toward buying eventually, it really helps to figure out how much home you can afford. Of course, it is always fun to visit homes you hope to have one day. But you want your expectations to be in line with your budget. Check out this blog post for tips on finding how much home you can afford.
2. Plan your route. Consider focusing on a neighborhood or section of town that interests you each Sunday. You can go to this website to get an overview of popular subdivisions in the Springfield area. Open houses are posted here at 4 p.m. on Thursday for the upcoming Sunday. Zillow also compiles open houses each week. Murney's mobile app will give you the location of homes for sell based on your geographical location. Very handy!
3. Talk to the real estate agent hosting the open house. Use the agent as a resource. Ask any questions you may have and see what he or she thinks are the strengths of the home. It's also a great way to "interview" agents if you are looking for an agent to represent you. 
4. Weigh the home against your needs. No home is going to meet all of your needs. But you do want it to meet your most important needs. Think about whether this home does that, whether those needs involve the floor plan, a big backyard for kids to play in, a large kitchen or a hobby space. 
5. Experience the neighborhood. Find out as much as you can about what it is like to live there. The people create the neighborhood's personality. Are people out in their yards? Are they approachable? Do you like that? Would you prefer a more anonymous feel in your neighborhood? Do people take care of their homes? Look at the community amenities within the neighborhood and nearby. Again, evaluate the amenities according to what you think is important or would like to have nearby. Other neighborhood considerations include traffic amount and patterns, smells and home owners associations' involvement.

5229 S. Stonehaven in Highland Springs

310 N. Marie St. in Nixa