Maximize Your Visit, Avoid Costly Mistakes, and Get Closer to Finding Your Ideal Home

For many homebuyers, open houses are the fun part of the journey—touring potential homes, envisioning life in each space, and dreaming about the future. But beneath that excitement lies a huge opportunity: gathering intel that can give you a serious edge over other buyers.

Whether you're searching in Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, or the greater South Bay area, knowing what to do before, during, and after an open house can help you avoid overpaying, understand the home’s true value, and potentially win the home you fall in love with.

Here are 8 must-know tips to get the most out of every open house you attend:

1. Define Your Search Criteria—Before You Walk In

Don’t waste your time looking at homes that don’t match your goals. Is school district important? Do you want ocean views? A big yard? A home office? Knowing your criteria helps you evaluate the home objectively—so emotions don’t override good judgment.

👉 Click here to set your home search criteria now — it takes less than a minute

2. Pay Attention to the Neighborhood, Not Just the Home

Before you even step inside, take a drive around. Look for pride of ownership, traffic noise, parking availability, and nearby amenities. What’s it like at 7 a.m. or 9 p.m.? If the home checks all your boxes but the location doesn't feel right, it’s a red flag.

3. Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions

Serious buyers ask serious questions. Get clarity on:

• How long has the home been on the market?

• Are there any offers?

• What updates have been made—and when?

• Are there any known issues or pending repairs?

A good agent will help you analyze answers strategically.

4. Look Beyond the Staging

Nice furniture and fresh cookies don’t mean the foundation is solid. Check for cracks, uneven floors, water stains, mold smells, or anything that might signal future costs. Open cabinets, flush toilets, and turn on faucets—you’re evaluating a major investment.

5. Don’t Reveal Too Much

Remember: the listing agent works for the seller. Keep your poker face on. Don’t gush about how much you love the place. Save your enthusiasm for your agent—someone who’s in your corner.

6. Compare It to Other Homes You've Seen

Bring a simple scoring sheet (or use my digital home tour tracker—message me for it) to rate:

• Curb appeal

• Interior condition

• Layout

• Lot size

• Price relative to value

Being methodical helps you avoid confusion later when homes start to blend together.

7. Leverage a Real Market Value Analysis

After attending an open house, the next step isn’t making an offer—it’s making a smart offer. And that means understanding the true value of the home based on hyper-local data, not guesswork.

8. Hang around a while

Wander through and listen in to other buyers’ comments to gain valuable intel on how other buyers perceive the property so that you can properly strategize

After attending an open house, the next step isn’t making an offer—it’s making a smart offer. And that means understanding the true value of the home based on hyper-local data, not guesswork.

📉 Want to see what I provide my clients?
👉 Click here to download a sample of my proprietary Valuation Analysis PDF—see how I break down recent sales, price trends, discount margins, absorption rates, and more to help buyers make confident, competitive offers (without overpaying).

Ready to Tour Homes with a Clear Strategy?

Whether you’re weeks or months from making a move, I can help you approach every open house with clarity and insight. Let’s set your home search criteria now so I can curate the right homes for you—and show you how to evaluate them like a pro.

👉 Fill out this quick form to define your search goals and/or enter your address for 3 complimentary valuation reports, but BE CAREFUL!!!  Here’s why…

The Problem -

Inaccurate automated value models for estimating the price today's Buyers will pay. So what's the solution?...

...Check and Balance systems so you have the opportunity to compare and contrast different models.  Do two or three models have consensus?  That might lend credibility to the process.

Threats to your Privacy - 

How do you easily get independent models without being tracked online by companies like zillow, redfin, realtor dot com and all the other platforms that provide estimates yet data mine your computer and mobile devices so as to sell your contact information and search patterns to their advertisers.  Were you aware that they do that?  They do!  And, they make billions of dollars each year doing just that ... selling you out is what they do to make money.  Of course it's always your choice to continue to use sites like this, it's just important to be informed of the risks.  

Why can't you trust computer models which estimate home values? -

Computers/AI (at least not yet) can not nuance how REAL HUMAN BUYERS calculate adjustments between competitive sales and the "subject property" for value factors such as...

• Micro-location (for example, are you beach front or a block back)

• Lot Utility (for example, are you a hilly non useable lot or a flat lot)

• Home Condition (for example, did you fully remodel in the last few years or is your house junk)

• Views (for example, do you have a panoramic ocean view or do you have to stand on a toilet and contort your body as you look out the window to see the view)

Short of me coming to your property for an in person analysis (which obviously, I would be happy to do for you with my goal being to eventually earn your business down the road of time), the next best thing is to "compare and contrast" independent models. 

You don’t need to guess. You just need a strategy—and a seasoned advisor in your corner.