Step by step guide to attending an open home

If you're about to start your search for your first home, don't worry.

All that stands between you and your first dwelling of your own is figuring out a budget, getting loan approval, determining the best area for your lifestyle and investment ambitions, the other buyers and the price negotiation process. Oh, and plenty of open home inspections.

Thankfully, the open home inspection is the most fun part of the process. This is the part where you get to explore someone else's home (never underestimate how satisfying a good stickybeak can be) and imagine your own future. That shelf full of cookbooks - wouldn't it look good with the cabinet you inherited from your grandmother? And that rug is ugly, but you spotted a really great one last weekend. And that mantle would be terrific for all your travel photos.

Before you know it, you've gotten carried away. And on the drive home, you suddenly can't remember exactly how big that second bedroom was, whether there were tiles or lino in the kitchen, or how high the ceilings were.

It pays to be prepared for an open home inspection. Here's Property Observer's step by step guide to attending an open home.

• Prepare a checklist 

Before you head off, prepare a checklist of things to look for at the open for inspection. There will be vital aspects of the home are things you're not willing to budge on - this could include the minimum number of bedrooms, the size of the backyard, a double garage, or a separate laundry.

Your negotiable items are ones that you're curious about but aren't dealbreakers. Is the home close to a school? In the shadow of an industrial plant? Can your neighbours see into the property?

Finally, there are aspects that might seem superficial at first but could really make a difference down the track - things like ceiling height, aspect and natural light, layout and floor materials are all important, as are noise levels.

By preparing a checklist before you step foot in a property, you'll allow yourself to take out some of the emotion of inspecting a home.

If making your own checklist seems daunting, check out this one from realestateVIEW - it'll be particularly handy for keeping your homes straight when you have a few under your belt.

• Gather your things

In addition to your checklist, bring along a copy of the listing, with any particular points marked out that need further following up with the agent.  A suburb report with median prices might be handy if you're neighbourhood hopping, and your ID is often required by the agent.

Bring along a camera (your smartphone will do) to help jog your memory later on and a tape measure, with a pen and pad (or phone) to take notes on, are also very handy on the day.

Even if you have good spacial awareness, take along the floorplan - it's much easier to walk through a home with one eye on the floor plan than it is to look over the floor plan and try to recall how each room fits plan later on.

• Stickybeak around the street

Remember, you're not just hoping to buy a home in a vacuum. You're buying a house on a particular street in a particular suburb. If you have time, build in 15 minutes before the open home to take a walk down the street and through the main strip of your potential new neighbourhood.

The suburb cruise can be more illuminating than you might think. If you want to buy into a suburb with a good school or great cafes, try taking a walk between your prospective home and those areas. If your child will have to traipse through a poorly lit park to get home, the house's location might not be as good as it first seemed.

If there's no secure parking on the property, check out the street - is there plenty of room for you to park your car? Does the street look well lit and secure?

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• The outside

While street appeal isn't everything, check out the exterior of the property and the landscaping. If there's a spectacular garden, keep in mind that you'll need to maintain it once its in your possession.

Think about what's appropriate for your family - if you have young children or pets, you will have to keep fencing in mind, for safety and privacy.

Keep an eye out for any rotting wooden cladding or peeling paint as well - fixing those problems up will cost you money down the line.

• Speak to the agent

While you don't want to seem too peachy keen, it's often good to have a quick chat to the agent so you're on their radar. They'll take your name and number and will often want to see your ID as well.

• Kitchens

The heart of the home and one of the more expensive areas to make improvements to down the line, the kitchen is an important area to check out. Some important things to take note of:

1. Materials: Splashbacks, benchtops and flooring - make sure it's easy to maintain and suits your personal style.
2. Layout: If you have a big family or entertain often, a small galley kitchen might not cut it. Make sure there's enough space for your fridge (with plenty of room to swing the door open).
3. Cooktops and ovens: Keep in mind that electricity is more expensive than gas.
4. Dishwashers: Is there an existing dishwasher, or room for one if you need it down the line?
5. Storage solutions: Make sure there's enough room for all your pots, pans, plates and plastic tupperware.
6. Rangehoods and fans: Check out the noise level and efficacy of the rangehood - more importantly, make sure there's a rangehood in the first place. They're difficult and sometimes impossible to install retrospectively.

• Bathrooms

Another expensive area of the home to re-do, bathrooms are worth getting right.

Make sure there are enough bathrooms in the house (particularly if you have a growing family) and decide whether it's important to have a toilet that's separate to the main bathroom.

Tiles should be easy to clean, and a bath is pretty vital if you're planning to have young kids. The bathroom should be well ventilated (check the fan - without good ventilation, hazardous mould can grow quickly) and have enough storage space and power points.

If there's no separate laundry, your washing machine will need to go in the bathroom. Make sure there are washing machine taps, room for a dryer if you use one, enough space for your washing machine and an adequate sink.

• Living and dining areas

Check the layout of your living and dining areas - is it open plan? If you have children, could you watch them play in the living room from the kitchen or your workspace?

Look for power points, phone cables or ports for internet connection and television connections, and make sure you'll be able to figure out a tidy and space efficient way to arrange your furniture and entertainment devices.

Also keep heating and cooling in mind - is there a simple reverse cycle air conditioning unit in the living room? Think about whether this will cut it in the height of summer or the middle of winter, particularly given the building materials and level of light in the home.

• Bedrooms

Keep an eye out for outlets, layout and size and lighting. Think about how you use your bedroom. Is there enough storage space for your clothes? If you needed to get another storage unit for new clothes or your partner is moving in with you for the first time, will there be enough room then? Is there adequate light if you like to work in your bedroom, and room for a desk?

For children's bedrooms, make sure they're easy to clean and close to your room, particularly if you have very young children that you may need to attend to during the night. Check the windows on your bedrooms to make sure they're easy to open and secure.

• Garage spaces

One person's "secure parking" is another person's "tiny backyard with barn-style gate that opens on to an alley". If you have a vehicle which you need to keep secure, make sure there's adequate garage space - wide enough for your car, with a working door and enough space for your tools, bikes or workbenches.

• On your way out

Make a note of any discrepancies between the home and the listing information, and be sure to raise them with the agent, either at the inspection or later on the phone. Thank the agent, and make sure you have his details to contact him later.

• Back home

Don't think all the work is done once you've returned from the open inspection. If it seems like the property is a serious prospect, go back over the notes you've made and highlight any questions you want to ask the agent or a building inspector.

If that seems like a lot of work for a house that you might not be interested in, think again. Even if the house is off your radar, keep an eye on it and how much it sells for eventually - every open home you go to will give you a better idea of the market which holds your future home.