What to Bring to an Open House (and What to Check Once You're Inside)

Most people walk through an open house, nod, and leave with a feeling — "nice," "kind of dark," "I liked that one." Then they try to compare five of those feelings at dinner. A little preparation turns an open house from a vibe check into something you can actually decide on.

Bring

Your phone, charged. You'll use it for photos, notes, the map, and looking up the listing while you're standing in it. Bring a car charger if you're doing more than three.

A tape measure. The cheap 16-foot kind. "Will our sectional fit?" and "Is this garage long enough for the truck?" are the two questions that kill more deals after closing than anything else. Measure the room, measure the garage depth, measure the doorway your fridge has to pass through.

Your list of must-haves. Three to five things, written down before you leave the house. A real office with a door. A yard the dog can use. Under 25 minutes to work. When you're standing in a gorgeous kitchen it's very easy to forget that the third bedroom is a closet.

A notebook, or the notes on each stop. If you build your tour on Sunday Showings, every stop has a notes field that saves to your account, so your thoughts from Saturday are still there Sunday night. Otherwise a small notebook works — one page per house, address at the top.

Shoe covers, maybe. Some hosts provide them; some ask for shoes off. Slip-on shoes save a lot of time over an afternoon.

Water and a snack. Five open houses between noon and four is a real afternoon. Nobody makes good decisions hungry.

Pre-approval letter, if you have one. You don't need to show it to anyone, but if you fall in love with a house that already has an offer, being able to write one that evening matters.

Check, room by room

Outside, before you go in

• Look up: roof condition, missing shingles, sagging gutters. In North Texas, ask the host when the roof was replaced — hail does a lot of damage here and a 15-year-old roof is a negotiating point.
• Look down: cracks in the driveway or foundation, soil pulling away from the slab. Foundation movement is common in DFW clay soils; it's often fixable, but you want to know.
• Walk the fence line. Check the drainage — does the yard slope toward the house?
• Note what's next door and across the street. Open houses are on quiet Sunday afternoons; it's worth driving by on a weekday evening too.

Kitchen

• Run the faucet hot. How long does hot water take? Check the water pressure.
• Open the cabinets under the sink — look for water stains.
• Open the dishwasher and the oven. Are they staying? (Ask.)
• Count the outlets.

Bathrooms

• Flush. Run the shower. Look at the caulk and grout, and at the ceiling for stains.
• Check under the vanity.
• Turn on the exhaust fan.

Bedrooms and living areas

• Measure the primary bedroom and the main living space.
• Open every closet. Measure the ones that matter.
• Open and close the windows. Are they single- or double-pane? (Double-pane makes a real difference on a July electric bill.)
• Look at the ceilings — stains, patches, cracks at the corners of doorways (often foundation).
• Check phone signal in the back bedroom.

Garage, attic, utility

• Garage depth and door height if you have a large vehicle.
• Water heater: look for the date on the label. Gas or electric?
• HVAC: look for the date; ask when it was last serviced. A unit over 12–15 years old is on borrowed time in Texas.
• Electrical panel: open it (it's fine). Look for brand and condition.
• Attic access: pull it down if you can. Insulation depth tells you a lot about summer bills.

Ask the host

• When was the roof replaced? HVAC? Water heater?
• Has there been any foundation work? Is there a warranty that transfers?
• What's the HOA, and what does it cover?
• Why is the seller moving? (They may not say, but it's a free question.)
• Are there offers already?
• What's the average electric bill in summer?

Write the answers down. They're half of what you'll use to decide.

Afterward

Before you drive off, spend two minutes in the car: rate it 1–10, write one sentence about what you'd miss and one about what bothers you. That's the note that will actually help at the end of the day.

Then on to the next one. If you planned your route with Sunday Showings, the next stop is already loaded — and if you're not sure, ask a Realtor to walk back through your top pick with you.