Oahu Open House Guide – Things you should know

---

Open House is an event held by a seller’s listing agent to show the home to perspective buyers. It helps generate interest in listings and gives the general public the chance to view a home without the need for a private showing.

Home buyers not only get to view the property in-person, they also get to see the surrounding homes and neighborhood. It may give potential buyers a better understanding of their needs, estimating a home’s value, and determining if the home or condo is right for them.

You should be prepared before viewing or attending an Open House and use them to enhance your buying-strategy.

Search Open Houses in Oahu

Preparing to view Open Houses

Here are some tips you can follow in order to maximize your time and success when visiting listings with Open Houses.
Keep these in mind as you explore homes and condos for sale.

Make a list of homes to visit

Your time is money. With a limited time-frame to view open houses, you want to make sure you are looking at listings that fit your criteria.

These features should help you narrow down your search:

• Price
• Location
• Bedrooms
• Bathrooms

With our easy-to-use home and condo open house property search tool, you can filter by price range, type, beds, baths, and much more!

Research the market

Before attending an Open House, you should do some initial research and comparisons on homes in the area. This involves estimating values of a specific property based on similar ones that have recently sold in the same area. If you don’t know where to start, work with your agent. With their help or through some self-research, you will know if the home for sale is priced according to the market.

You should already be in the process of getting pre-qualified so you and your agent know which houses you can afford and your overall buying power. If you start looking and visiting Open Houses before this crucial process, you may end up wanting a house you are not approved for.

Look for Opportunity and Stay open-minded

Knowing your must-haves and non-negotiable criteria is always good to be aware of before you look at open houses. That being said, be open-minded and look for opportunities. While you are checking out homes, you may re-define your must-have list because of budget or value.

While attending an open house, you should have a better idea of the home’s potential and current condition versus just looking at pictures online. Some things can be fixed or renovated at a later time. This is your chance to gauge the potential home improvement needs.

Think of some questions

Even though listings descriptions and home details are now easy-accessible through a online property search tool, many of the details are general listing information. Attending an open house will allow you to ask more specific questions that are not answered through the real estate fact sheet.

This is your best chance to ask the listing agent (or hosting agent) your questions. As you tour the listing, questions may come up that you should definitely ask during this key opportunity.

• Any recent repairs or renovations? Were they permitted?
• What are the utility costs?
• Are there any HOA restrictions?
• Why is the seller moving?

Don’t be shy. The listing agent is there to answer any questions you may have.

Alert your agent

Your agent should know and help you prepare for your open house viewing. Let them know of your plans and keep them informed on things that may come up during the visit. Your real estate agent is your ally through your home-buying process. Stay connected whenever possible.

If you are not working with an agent yet, please reach out to us and let us represent you. Our real estate professionals are here for you and Corcoran Pacific Properties is dedicated to supporting our agents so that they may bring you success.

At Corcoran Pacific Properties, we feel it is our job to take the headaches of buying a home off your plate so that you can enjoy the process and the excitement of purchasing and owning a new property.