Home Buyers: How To Make The Most of An Open House

If you are in the market for a home at or near the New Jersey coast, chances are good that you will come across many open house events. An open house is when a seller and/or real estate agent literally opens the doors to a home and invites visitors – prospective buyers and the like – to come take a personal tour of the home. It’s an opportunity to see a house up close, ask questions, sometimes meet the neighbors, and more.

Many of those on the hunt for a new home, however, do not use open house events to their full advantage.

This article is here to help you avoid their mistakes. If you plan to attend open houses while searching for luxury waterfront properties in Rumson, Deal, and other Monmouth County communities, take heed of this advice:

Treat It As A Learning Experience

Remember, you’re not just there to get a look at the interior of a home you like. You’re there to learn about the market in which you’re now looking. This is your chance to get a feel for prices in the region, the mood of both the buying and selling public, how aggressively people are looking to sell, and more. It’s also an opportunity to learn about the communities in which you are looking. Remember that you’re not just buying a home, you’re buying into a community. Getting a feel for it is vital to ensuring you are happy after your purchase.

Watch The Other Guests

Even if you don’t feel in direct competition with them, even if you’re not gunning for this particular home, you can learn a lot about the market for Monmouth County luxury waterfront properties by observing the others there. Are they asking a lot of questions? Are they lingering for a long time? Are they vying for time with the realtor? If the answer is yes, this may be a desirable property. What sort of questions are they asking? Is there a lot of discussion about the local schools? Do the other guests look as if they have families or are they older and potentially retired? You can tell a lot about what sort of neighbors you might have by observing these details.

Ask Questions – Lots Of Them

An open house is no place for someone who suffers from shyness. You are there to learn, and potentially to spend a lot of money on a waterfront property in Sea Bright, Manalapan, or other Monmouth County real estate. The wise thing to do, then, is to ask questions. Ask about the neighborhood and its access to the amenities you most desire – restaurants, schools, shopping, the beach, access to the Garden State Parkway, and so on. Get to know what sort of people live in the neighborhood. Is it a conservative community with strict Sunday blue laws, or is it a community with a thriving night life? Do a lot of families live here? Commuting professionals? Retirees? The answers to these questions will play a vital part in ensuring you are happy and comfortable in your new neighborhood – so ask away!

The bottom line is to remember that an open house is more than a home tour. It’s an important tool in ensuring you are equipped to make the most educated purchase you can.