Open House Tips for Buyers: What to Look for When Buying a House

Buying a home is an exciting time and with such a large decision on the line, you want to make sure to do your research before committing. Whether this is your first home or your fifth, one of the most important steps when buying a home is attending open houses. But do you know what to look for when you go?

These open house tips for buyers will help you identify potential areas of concern, envision yourself in the space, and prepare you for this big milestone.

Open House Tips for Buyers

Open houses might have delicious food and refreshments, a beautifully staged interior, and friendly real estate agents ready to help you, but there’s much more than meets the eye. Use these tips to make the most out of your open house visits and get yourself in that perfect new home sooner.

Don’t Judge an Interior by its Cosmetics

The first thing most visitors notice when attending an open house is the interior design. But often times, this is just the tip of the iceberg, especially if small cosmetic fixes catch your eye. Things like paint color, cabinet style, and countertops can easily be changed but structural features like loose wires or aging support beams are there to stay. Try to look past the fancy staging and examine the bones of the house. You can always paint the room later.

Have an Eye for Errors

Speaking of the interior, though, you should be on the lookout for fundamental errors. While paint and cabinets are easy enough to change, things like uneven floors, water stains, cracks in the ceilings, or mold may be indicative of larger issues. If you can easily spot damage, make a note of it and talk to the realtor or homeowner. If it can’t be easily fixed, it might not be the right home for you.

Consider the Temperature

Heating and cooling systems are expensive to replace, so when visiting an open house gauge the temperature and examine the furnace and central heating and cooling system. If possible, visit during different times that have cooler or warmer temperatures. Make sure you feel comfortable in the home during a cold spell as well as during the hot summer months.

Decide on Your Deal Breakers

Another open house tip for buyers is to have a list of wants versus needs when you’re house hunting. It might be hard to find a house that fits all of your criteria, but having a list of deal breakers helps you understand what you really need. If you plan to grow your family or have guests over, an extra bedroom might top the list. Or, if you want to relax in the summer and cool off, having a pool might be a necessity. During the open house, check these things off your list to find the perfect home for you.

Love the Location

You can change almost anything about a new home except for the location. An important open house tip for buyers is to scout out the area and think about what it would be like to live there. Where is the closest grocery store? Are the schools good? Are there places to walk, eat out, or shop? You might have to pay more for a prime location, but if location matters to you then it’s worth it. Also, don’t be afraid to ask the realtor or current homeowner questions about the location if you don’t know the area.

Ask the Right Questions

During an open house, the real estate agent or homeowner is there to help you make an informed decision. To make that easier, ask the right questions to get the answers that matter. These questions might include:

• Why is the owner selling the home?

• How long has the home been on the market?

• When was the house built?

• How much are monthly expenses excluding the mortgage payment (utilities, HOA, Mello-Roos, property taxes, etc.)?

• How many offers has the seller received?

Envision Your Style

Last but not least, don’t forget to have fun at the open house and envision your life happening there. Visualize how your sofa would look in the living room, designate which rooms are for the kids, and imagine hosting a dinner party in the dining room. You’re looking for a home that will not only be structurally sound and the right price, but that will also be the perfect place to make memories for years to come. Visualizing this as you walk through an open house is just as important as the technical stuff.

These open house tips for buyers will help you look for key things when visiting and help choose the perfect home for you and your family. Take at looks at these interior design styles from around the world for inspiration once you’ve bought the house of your dreams.

The holidays are upon us and your head might be spinning with all of the things on your to-do list. From shopping for gifts to prepping for holiday parties, there is much to be done. While decorating your home might have been a huge task in past years, here are 7 easy and simple holiday decorating ideas that’ll add festive flair in a flash.

Tinker with Tableware

One easy way to start adding festive flare to your home is with tableware. It’s time to bring out any glasses, plates, and silverware with holiday designs or colors. If you don’t have any holiday-decorated tableware, go for a more understated look with colors that reflect the season like blue, gold, and red.

Candlestick Glow Up

If you have candlesticks or candles in general, take the time to switch them to holiday colors. You’d be amazed at the “glow up” of the room when your candles match the season. To take it to another level of style, you can even match the candles with the table runner and linens to establish a color theme. Holiday trends have certainly changed over the decades and color themes now include a wide variety of colors. From green, blue, and silver to teal, white, and cranberry, you can establish a theme that matches your personality and preferences.

All Around Accents

Decorating every room of the house is a task that only a brave few want to take on, but there is a shortcut that adds just the right amount of holiday cheer in minutes. Instead of throwing up as many decorations as you can find, simply accent each room with garlands, evergreen boughs, mistletoe, wreaths, and pinecones. The list of ways you can do this is endless, but here are a few examples:

•  In the bedroom, add a vase of boughs with a couple small ornaments.

• Adorn light fixtures in any room with garlands and mistletoe to give it some extra pizazz.

• Hang an iconic holiday wreath on your front door to give a warm welcome to guests. You can also place them above the fireplace or in a window.

Presents Galore

While the image of having dozens of presents tucked under the Christmas tree is a sight we all love to see, spare a few presents (or wrap some fake presents) and place them in key areas within your home. For example, line your stairway with a few beautifully wrapped gifts, or cluster them on either side at the base. Nothing says Christmas like shiny presents (that you already have to begin with), so this is a great way to knock out two birds with one stone.

Make it Personal

The holidays are a special time for family and friends, so having reminders of this throughout your home is precious and festive. Use special mementoes like photos and artwork as living room Christmas decorations. A quick DIY idea for the mantle is a family photo collage decoration. Clip family photos from past to present on a piece of twine and hang it between two vases. You can add small snowflakes, ornaments, or candy canes along the twine to give it that extra festive touch.

Shimmer & Sparkle

With your festive holiday candles already in place, embellish them with mercury glass, silver, and mirrors. When placed together, these decor items look gorgeous against soft candlelight and create a magical shimmer throughout the room. A great place to incorporate this is on your mantelpiece. Add in your decorative pieces of mercury glass, sprinkle in some silver, and voila!

Wintry Bed & Bath

Last but not least, a holiday decorating idea you can use throughout your home is matching your bedding and bathrooms to the season. Wintertime calls for warmer, cozier bedding to begin with, so why not make it festive with colors and designs that reflect the holidays? Similarly, the bathroom is a highly used space that can follow the wintry theme with a couple easy changes. There are a few different ways you can apply this idea throughout your home, depending on how much time and money you want to spend. Here are a few:

• Replace your comforters, blankets, pillow cases, and decorative pillows with more festive options in the bedroom

• Keep it simple and add a couple holiday throw over blankets along with seasonal decorative pillows in the living room

• In the bathroom, even subtle details like towels, washcloths, and rugs can be switched out to bring out some flare

• Dish towels and floor mats are a great way to add that fun holiday spirit while you’re cooking in the kitchen

After you’ve finished transforming your home into a warm and festive space with these holiday decorating ideas, learn how to store your decorations more easily with these tips.

Working from home can be a nice change from the normal office environment, but it’s important to set up a home office that inspires creativity and productivity.

These home office setup ideas will help you get your work done and you’ll look great doing it.

Home Office Setup Ideas for Style and Productivity

You don’t need a big house or fancy equipment to make a home office that fits your needs. These tips will help you get work done without sacrificing style for productivity.

Create a Designated Space

The first, and most important, home office setup idea is to create a designated workspace where you can get work done. Nearly everyone who works from home is guilty of writing emails from bed, taking phone calls from the car, or doing some industry research while you multitask in the kitchen. Instead, have a designated space for your “home office” that is only for work.

We use the term “home office” loosely because this designated space doesn’t need to be a full spare bedroom with tons of space. It could be a nook off the kitchen, a part of the bedroom with a desk and monitor, or anywhere else you can find space. The key is that when you enter this space, your brain turns on “work mode” and not “thinking about everything else I have to do today” mode.

Find Natural Light

Unfortunately, many corporate offices don’t have a lot of natural light and studies show that workers seated by a window that optimized natural light reported an 84% drop in symptoms of eyestrain, headaches and blurred vision. The same study also noted a 2% boost in productivity and a 10% decrease in drowsiness.

If you can, set up your home office next to a window where you can enjoy some natural light. If this isn’t possible in your home, remember to get up from your desk every so often and take a walk outside.

Create an Inspiration Space

More and more offices are investing in creative breakout spaces and your home office can, too. Using different forms of seating, lighting, and decorations, you can create a space inside your home office that inspires creativity and collaboration with other remote employees.

Bring the Outdoors In

Studies show that plants in the workplace reduce stress, increase productivity, reduce sickness and clean the air. If you’re working from home, bring some plants into your home office for a quick pick-me-up. This home office setup idea is simple but effective.

Before buying plants for your home office, consider their light requirements and maintenance needs. Snake plants, rubber plants, peperomias, and ZZ plants are all low maintenance and don’t require a lot of light.

Use Vertical Space

Using vertical space is one of the most effective decor tips for small spaces. Not only is it practical, but it will make your home office look unique. Install some floating shelves for some creative storage, invest in a tall bookcase, or use stackable cubbies to make more space. Not only is this home office setup idea cute, but it’s also practical!

Focus on Comfort

That tiny antique chair or ultra-trendy bar stool you see in many home office setup ideas on the Internet might look great, but will they actually be practical for 8+ hours of working from home? Instead, invest in a high-quality chair that’s comfortable and helps you get your work done. The better you feel, the more fun it will be working from your home office.

Keep Office Supplies on Hand

One of the nice things about working in a traditional office is that you have everything you need, from printer paper and highlighters to stamps and staples, within close proximity. Building out a home office with all the supplies you need is a little more difficult, but with careful planning and organization, you can make your home office just as productive as a traditional office.

Create a Distraction-Free Work Space

A lot of people enjoy working from home because there are less distractions from coworkers and other disturbances in the office, but this won’t do much good if you have your cell phone right next to you ringing with notifications. To really be effective working at home, turn off notifications for certain blocks of time so you can focus on the project at hand. Some successful thought leaders even recommend checking your email just twice a day and responding to everything all at once. That way, you can cross more things off your to-do list.

Some of these home office setup ideas are practical and will help you get your work done, and some of them are decorative and inspiring. Either way, they’re all designed to help you get the most out of your home. Read our home office ergonomics checklist to ensure your workplace is as safe as possible.