5 Must-Haves You’ll Want With You

What not to bring with you to an open house

Whether you’re attending an open house on a whim or if it’s been planned for weeks, it would be a bad idea to bring anyone other than your agent and one other person.

If you have children, we strongly recommend hiring a sitter. You don’t want any distractions while looking through the home.

Why do we suggest not bringing more than one other person with you? You know the saying, “There’s too many cooks in the kitchen”? When you have multiple people walking with you through an open house, they may focus on pointing out small problems that can easily be fixed, such as paint color or an unkempt yard.

Or they might fall in love with one of the home’s features and try to convince you it’s perfect. Yes, they may mean well, but they could plant a seed of doubt or hope that isn’t actually going to land you in your dream home.

This should go without saying, but it’s best to leave your pets at home, too. Unless you have a service animal, pets should never come with you to any open houses, viewings, or other home-shopping activities. Heaven forbid they have an accident on the carpet or damage the furniture or knick-knacks — it’s a recipe for disaster.

Ready for your open house?

Whether you’re just starting your search for a new home or you’ve been searching for some time, an open house is a fantastic way to see what’s out there. Since buying a house is probably one of the most important decisions of your life, you’ll want to be prepared.

You should absolutely bring with you a list of questions you’d like the listing agent to answer and a way to take notes and photos so you can go over them later. Bring a tape measure or a list of dimensions regarding your larger pieces of furniture so you can get an idea of whether or not your things will fit in the house or both.

Although you may not find a house with everything on your must-have list, open houses can be a great way to see what matters most to you — and that’s all that really matters.

Header Image Source: (Андрей Постовой / Unsplash)