The Spring weather has people out and about in droves along the streets of Elmhurst. Dreams of Summer weather are accompanied by dreams of a new home. Open houses for both condos and family homes in Elmhurst tend to pick up around this time. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you begin eyeing open houses as the real estate market is rejuvenated

You may find an open house that strikes your interest as you are taking a walk along the tree-lined streets of Elmhurst. Keep in mind that you do not need to have your agent with you. If you find yourself going in to look around, simply present a Gracik Makinney Group business card to the selling agent or, if you do not have a card handy, just mention you are working with the Gracik Makinney Group. You will be free to look around without worrying about the selling agent trying to earn your business by mentioning your affiliation with Gracik Makinney Group,

For what should I be looking at an open house? We get this question quite a lot. The Gracik Makinney Group’s Elmhurst Real Estate site has a list of open houses to attend. Keep these items in mind as you tour the home for sale
  • Know your buying priorities -  tour only the Elmhurst properties which are for sale and meet your criteria
  • Pay attention to the obvious, visible issues - keep an eye open for cracked foundation, old roof, water damage, or broken appliances. These could all factor in when you make an offer.
  • Should I focus on things that can be changed easily like curtains, paint, etc.? - While you may be tempted to pick out these areas and fixate on them, keep in mind that they are much easier (and less expensive) to change than things like a crumbling deck or flood-prone basement. Picture your styles in place of what you see.
When the Gracik Makinney Group hosts an open house in Dupage County, we take a hands-off approach. We’ll introduce ourselves, provide preliminary information, and allow potential home buyers to look around as they please. Not all other agents follow that practice. What should you do or say if you like a house and an agent or the home owner is following you around and listening? It happens. We would recommend not showing too much excitement via expression, jumping for joy, or certainly using statements such as "I Love this house" if the house is what you're looking for...this could harm your negotiation position.  Instead. Refer the agent or homeowner to our group for feedback from the open house.

Finally, almost all open house agents will ask for your name and contact info. You do not have to give every bit of info. We recommend just providing your name and have the selling agent contact Gracik Makinney Group.

These simple tips will assure you have an effective open house. Call or Email Tom Makinney, Maria Gracik, or Gina Brigham today of Gracik Makinney Real Estate Group of Koenig & Strey today!   Work with us to find exactly what you're looking for in a home for a great price!