Download Our Free Home Tour Checklist + Agent Questions
Oct 05, 2020
Before you begin touring, research homes online and start narrowing down your must-haves versus nice-to-haves. Then try to find homes to tour within your price range. When you get more serious about your house hunt, you’ll want a trustworthy real estate agent to help point out flaws, keep you within your budget, and tell you when to walk away.
Realty Collective Agents success is based on your satisfaction with our service. That means our interests are aligned with yours. We’re not focused on an easy sale.
Open Houses
If you’re early in your home-buying process, attending several open houses can help you get an even clearer idea of your wants and needs. Open houses are easy because you just show up and walk right in. Most open houses take place on Saturday and Sunday, usually between 10 am and 4 pm.
Realty Collective Agent Tip
A few minutes to half-an-hour is typically enough time for open houses. If you want to spend additional time taking detailed measurements and scrutinizing every square inch, book a follow-up private tour with your real estate agent.
Private Home Tours
Privately touring a home generally requires working with a buyer’s agent. A private tour is the best way to see a home in detail. Book a tour that will allow you enough time to get a feel not only for the home itself but also for the surrounding neighborhood.
To tour with a local Realty Collective Agent, get in touch or book a tour online in just a few clicks on RealtyCollective.com.
Things to look for when buying a house
Once inside a home, try everything. Follow common courtesy but don’t be shy—open and shut the cupboards, flush the toilets, and whip out the measuring tape
Realty Collective Agent Tip
Pay attention to stairways. Are the stairs comfortable to go up and down? Is there a rail? Are there any squeaks in the stairs or do they feel sturdy? Are there any turns or will the width be an issue when moving furniture?
Don’t forget the exterior even for Apartments
Don’t forget to walk around the entire home and property. Pay attention to the age and condition of the roof and siding.
Take notes and photos
It’s easy to get homes mixed up so take photos, videos, and notes on each tour. Photograph features you particularly like and dislike about each home, and share these insights with your agent. Looking through your photos and notes with fresh eyes may also trigger additional questions you have about the home.
What to ask your agent
Agents tour homes every day. Pick your agent’s brain for any unique qualities that stand out or flaws that you could be unaware of. If your agent doesn’t know the answer to a question, she or he can always ask the seller’s agent later.
Agent Questions Checklist (page two).
Research the neighborhood
Take a few minutes before or after your home tour to check out the neighborhood. How does the neighborhood feel? Is it bustling or quiet? Is there shopping, dining, and gas nearby? What are the schools like?
If you’re interested in making an offer, you should do additional research online and ask your agent what she or he knows about the surrounding area. Also, look at the home’s school rankings, Walk Score®, and Transit Score®, which can be found toward the bottom of the home’s listing pages on the show sheet.
Realty Collective Agent Tip
Even if you’re not planning on having kids or if your kids are grown up, it’s important to know that homes in good school zones tend to preserve home value better and sell faster.
The bottom line
Home buying takes plenty of compromise and patience. It’s easy to fall in love with a home at first sight—and if you love a home, chances are everyone else will too. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but just realize that you may be up against some competition. Be prepared to make multiple offers before you find the right home at the right price.
Realty Collective Agent Tip
If homes in your market tend to sell well over list price, keep that point in mind while you search for homes. Also, stick to your budget when you make an offer. By the time most buyers find out that a home with a low list price will sell for a lot more, they are typically already invested and are willing to bid up to “win” the home.