June has officially arrived in Boston, which means the Boston Real Estate market’s busiest months have arrived! As a Boston homebuyer, you could fill every weekend with open houses in the area. However, why spend all that time doing something you’re not fully prepared for? As your Boston Real Estate agent, I am here to give you all the advice you need to nail each open house you attend!First off, bring a notebook and pen with you to each open house.
Before you arrive at an open house, scope out the neighborhood. What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Get a feel for how many people are outside, the visual appeal of the homes, how many parks visible, how busy the streets are and other concerns you may have. Also take note of other houses for sale in the neighborhood. How do they compare to the house you’re visiting? How does the price compare?
Once you arrive at the open house, write down your first feelings when seeing the house. What do you like about the exterior? Does anything look like it needs work? Head inside and keep mental notes while you look, or bring a notebook with you to write down notes. After visiting numerous open houses in one weekend, they might all start to blend together in your memory.
Look past the obvious features of the home. Hopefully, the Boston home seller cleaned up the home and made it as presentable as possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t see what’s hiding behind doors. Open up closets and cabinets. Touch surfaces. Really get to know the house you could end up living in.
After jotting down notes and getting a feel for the house, consider asking some of these questions, which will leave you feeling as informed as possible about this particular house.
Why are you selling? This is a great question to open with. If the seller wants to downsize or upsize, you know that they can probably take their time and wait for a good offer. If they are transferring for a job, they probably need to move sooner than later. If it has something to do with not liking the neighborhood or location, ask more questions. You want to know what you’re getting into before buying.
Have you had any offers yet? Though it’s a buyer’s market, that doesn’t mean you can mosey around forever. Other buyers are busy searching for new homes in the Boston area too, especially during the summer months, so this question will let you know what your competition is like. Also, if they have gotten offers, find out if they rejected any and why.
How long has this house been on the market? This question will help you decide what type of offer to put in. If it has been on the market awhile, there’s a good chance that you could lower the asking price for the sake of desperate sellers. Then again, it could be that the sellers are stubborn about lowering their price and that’s why it hasn’t sold. Ask if the price has been reduced at all and when that happened.
Do you plan on including any repairs or upgrades in the sale? This is a good question to ask if you notice something in need of a repair or upgrade. Even if you don’t notice anything, this will allow you to find out what needs work or if the homeowner recently made any upgrades.
Have you had an inspection done on the house? If the answer is yes, you could ask for copies of the inspection results, which will tell you what shape the house is really in and whether you’ll need to plan on additional inspections.
These questions will get you well on your way to becoming an open house pro. After visiting a few open houses, you’ll get the hang of asking the right questions. As always, your Boston Real Estate agent is here to answer your questions and to offer you additional assistance on your home-buying adventure! The Boston Real Estate market is in full swing, so don’t wait to dive in and find the Boston home of your dreams!
Patti Fine
Phone: 617-642-7585
Email: pf@pattifine.com
Patti Fine Real Estate
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