There are some things to know about attending open houses. If you go in unprepared, you may end up doing or saying something you shouldn’t have. You don’t want to be seen digging through someone’s drawers or accidently mention what your price range is, you may find yourself in an awkward situation. Here are some open house tips to help you with your home search.

Touching is allowed but don’t snoop

While it’s acceptable to look through closets, storage areas,and cupboards, make sure you are not digging through them. You want to know what condition these things are in, but you don’t want to be digging through personal belongings.

Feel free to measure lengths and widths of rooms and closets, and ask about when appliances were last replaced. If you want to take pictures, just ask permission first from the listing agent.

Do your homework on the market data

You’ll want to understand what the listing price is for the neighborhood you’re looking into. If it’s going to be way out of your budget, you don’t want to fall in love with the home and not be able to afford it. Search for areas where homes are below or within your price range so that you know you’ll be able to afford it.

In addition, try to find out how long the home has been on the market. If dozens of people have seen it and didn’t want it, there may be a problem with it.

Don’t give away all of your power

If you tell the listing agent what your price range is and what neighborhood is your dream area, they will remember this and may use it against you. If you offer something lower than the asking price when they know your budget is higher than that, they may decline it since they know you can pay more.

Hopefully these tips will help you at your next open house.