Open houses are a good opportunity for you to meet personally with the seller and their listing agent so take advantage of this moment to get the details that will help you decide if you will push through with making an offer or look elsewhere. Here’s 3 questions you definitely need to ask as a prospective buyer:

Ask about known property conditions, repairs, permits, insurance history, and any available seller disclosure. An open-house tour cannot replace an independent inspection or a review of the relevant records. Florida residential disclosure duties address known facts that materially affect value and are not readily observable or known to the buyer; they are not limited to a short list of defects. Ask a Florida real estate attorney how the rules apply to the transaction. See the Florida Bar's discussion of disclosure duties.

Content clarification: September 27, 2026. The original publication date is retained.

You can find this information on your own but asking the listing agent can put the information in context. If it’s been on the market for a long time, you could have more bargaining power. But it could be that the sellers had a previous transaction with a buyer whose financing fell through. In the case where the house has been on sale for only a short while, there might be a sling of buyers expressing interest. The information you get will be useful when you make your deal.

It’s good to know information about people you will be surrounded with for a good lot of time in your family’s life. Ask details that correspond to your lifestyle, like if the neighborhood is kid-friendly, or if it’s congenial to retirees. Also ask about nearby schools, hospitals, police and fire stations and make your own research on their credibility and efficiency.