Listing of Open Houses in Calgary?

[eblend]

Hello,

Thinking about buying a house in the winter time and would like to start browsing to find out what is available for the price I am willing to pay. I am under the impression that the price of an open house is more expensive just because they have to spend the time sitting around and viewing it, is that true?

Where can I get a listing so I can drive around on a weekend and just browse (with no immediate intentions to buy)

[prae]

Many realtors advertise their open houses in the CREB. Also, bookmark your favorite MLS listings and check them a few days prior to the weekend, some will
just update the description.

Also, just driving around a neighborhood of interest on saturday between 11-3 is a great way to spot open houses.

I'm not sure what you mean by the price of an open house. Admission to the public is free... The pricing of the listing has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the realtor does an open house. Some believe in them, some don't.

Some view open houses as pointless and imagine it's just the listing agent trying to meet new clients. Luckily, since you're the buyer, that's not really your concern. However, every agent you ask will hound you for your contact information and email, so they can email you new listings.

[prae]

FYI the creb is published weekly, and they also list open houses online:

http://www.creb.com/public/buyer-resources/find-a-home.php look in the bottom right.

We found we liked biking around neighbourhoods on saturdays. It helped us locate streets that were quiet with less traffic, and gives you a much better "feel" for the house and surrounding area.

edit: I should add, on the off chance you find a house you LOVE on open house, and wish to put in an offer, most listing agents will avoid representing you as a buyer as well, and instead will refer you to another agent to act on your behalf. This is a whole 'nother can of worms, but the bottom line to you, the buyer, is that you WONT get a "better deal" by trying to convince the listing agent to do a double representation.

It also helps to have some idea of what you can afford. I'm not saying you need to carry around a pre-approval from a lender but just hearing that you have put some thought into financing makes realtors take you a lot more seriously.

We took our time, we ended up looking for over a year, before we even put a single offer on a house. So if you think you are going to time a decrease in demand and prices this fall/winter, start looking immediately. There's not really much inventory this year compared to last.

[barmanjay]

http://www.realtor.ca/propertySearch.aspx?Vs=OpenHouse

Maybe check kijiji and usedcalgary in their real estate section?

[eblend]

Thanks for the info. I got cash in hand for a purchase, but locked in until end of February 2010 with a lease, so in a way to avoid paying for two places at once, I want to stick it out here till mid december. My price range is $350k maximum. Being a cash purchase I don't know if that makes a difference (not like cash cash, but like a draft from the bank)

Not looking to get attached to anything, really just scoaping out the field so to say. First house purchase and would like to get a feel of what types of places are available for my price range.

[HRD2PLZ]

A lot of Realtors will also advertise their Open Houses in the Herald.

And no, you won't pay more for a listing where a Realtor is hosting an Open House, in fact, a lot of Realtors I know love hosting Open Houses because it allows them the opportunity to potentially pick-up more clients.

With a cash purchase, you should be able to negotiate a little more off the price because you wouldn't be subject to a Financing Condition. Property dependent, you'd most likely still have a Property Inspection and/or Condominium Document Condition though. Sellers do like cash transactions though, it alleviates any lender issues in regards to financing. And in the event of a multiple offer, cash deals almost always prevail, even if they aren't the highest offer.