Homebuyer Open House Etiquette

Though it’s allowable to turn on faucets or flush a toilet while in a bathroom to see if the plumbing is up to snuff, please resist the urge to do anything else... “Another tricky situation that comes up in open houses is whether or not it’s deemed impolite to use the bathroom... ‘As a rule of thumb, most people try not to, the situation isn’t always so black and white.’”

The Do’s and Don’ts for Homebuyers

In an era where most prospective homebuyers start their home search online, open houses afford the buyer the opportunity to see if the real-life version of the home stacks up to its virtual counterpart.

Aesthetics aside, touring the home also relays important details that can’t be discerned from an online listing: how the space makes us feel, if we like the neighborhood or whether you could envision your life here.

Yet, despite how ubiquitous open houses are, many of us still scratch our heads when it comes to open house etiquette. While many of us want to do our due diligence when checking out a home, sometimes our good intentions toe the line of being an engaged prospective buyer and being insensitive to the seller’s home. To break down the dos and don’ts of open house etiquette, local real estate agents advise us on what’s acceptable and what we should shy away from.

Treat the home with respect

Although there are definitely gray areas, open house etiquette ultimately boils down to respect, according to Jessica Vooz, Associate Broker at Keller Williams in Allentown.

“I think that buyers should respect the home in the way they would want their home to be treated,” Vooz said, “for example, would they want people going through their things?”

Since most of us would answer a resounding “no,” keep the seller’s privacy in mind — in other words, no going through medicine cabinets or other personal items — and take care when touring the home. Overall, keep in mind that by opening their home to the public, sellers are put in a vulnerable position, so they can only hope potential buyers would regard their home in a dignified way. “Sellers want their home sold, they just don’t want things disrespected,” Vooz said.

Leave your shoes at the door

While it may seem like an obvious courtesy, upon entering an open house, make sure to take off your shoes, advises Irving Noble, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Unlimited in Whitehall. “Sometimes a client will put a sign on door asking visitors to remove their shoes,” Noble said, “I’ve even had a client provide little booties for people to put over their feet, depending on how strict they are about that.” While some sellers don’t explicitly request you remove your shoes, Noble said it airs on the side of unacceptable to not concede to that simple courtesy. Ultimately, when in doubt, lose your shoes at the door.

Take a seat — if you need to

You’re in the house, your shoes are off, you’ve taken a look around, and now you’re tired. Is it okay to sit on the furniture? According to Noble, some people find that taking a seat is a helpful exercise to get a feel for what the place is like to live in — for example, picture where the TV would be in relation to the sofa. That said, however, Noble said that “there’s a difference between someone making themselves too at home and someone looking at the home with the intention of buying it.”

Vooz said that it’s a tricky balance considering “some people come in make themselves overly comfortable and take over the house, while others feel that comfortable and end up buying the house. It’s about being respectful, but also seeing if you can live in the house.”

When in doubt, don’t ‘go’

Another tricky situation that comes up in open houses is whether or not it’s deemed impolite to use the bathroom.

While Vooz said that “as a rule of thumb, most people try not to,” the situation isn’t always so black and white.

“You know, it’s one of those things where you can make a defined rule,” Noble said. “You don’t know who’s coming through, you don’t know their needs, their health situation and you can’t be insensitive to that basic human need.”

While Noble said it’s usually on rare occasions that someone does use the restroom, it’s hard to set hard guidelines, at the risk of isolating someone and losing the sale.

Leave the inspections to a pro

While your parents, friends or family members may have good intentions when accompanying you to an open house, make sure that you leave the “inspector” role to a professional.

“I’ve had people bring their parents, who come in and say, ‘well, look at the crack here,’ and then I ask them what they do — thinking perhaps they’re a contractor — and they say ‘oh, I’m an accountant,’” Vooz said. Case in point: “I had the one gentleman climb on chair and move ceiling tiles. You need to be licensed and insured to inspect someone’s home.”

While most buyers mean no disrespect, Vooz said it’s best to let a state-insured inspector look for flaws during their three hour inspection of the home when the house is under contract.

“We do have checks and balances in place for a buyer to be safe and have an educated decision,” Vooz said, “the contract is so detailed, it’s very buyer friendly.”

Check closets

While general snooping is best avoided, inquisitive buyers will be happy to learn that opening closets is definitely welcomed.

“Opening up every door is totally acceptable,” Vooz said. Noble agreed that checking closets are necessary to determine what’s in them.

“It could be a walk-in closet or a tiny closet that you can’t fit anything in,” Noble said. “You can’t perceive that with the doors closed.” To that end, some people base their decisions around what they find behind those doors. “People say yes or no to houses based on closet space,” Noble said, “if you’re going to picture yourself in the house, you need to know what’s there.”

Take a closer look — at the showing

Although it may be tempting to look at the home under a magnifying glass, Vooz suggested first decoding how the house makes you feel. “At the open house, you should be asking yourself ‘do I like the house?’ or ‘can I envision living here?’”

If the answer is yes, then Vooz said schedule a private showing, where you can better scrutinize the details of the home. “For showings, you’re with your buyers agent — the seller knows you’re there to turn the lights on and off,” Vooz said, “but open houses are kind of different — anyone can come in.” — Special to the Morning Call, 2016

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia