How self-guided home tours work, whether they're safe, and how to make the most of every visit. Practical guides for buyers touring their next home.
Don Catalano, SIOR, CCIMNAR puts the median active home search at 10 weeks, unchanged for four years. Zillow, measuring total elapsed time from first search to purchase instead, found 22 percent of 2025 buyers took six months or more and 11 percent finished inside a month. Two clocks, two different measures, and one distribution a buyer can actually plan against.
Don Catalano, SIOR, CCIMOnly 23% of 2024 buyers told Zillow they were very or extremely confident making an offer from a virtual tour alone, down from 37% in 2023 - stated confidence, not behavior. Here are six things that do not survive the trip into a listing photo: true room scale, sound, smell and damp, light at other hours, the block, and whatever got framed out.
Don Catalano, SIOR, CCIMA listing status is a permission setting plus a reporting deadline, not a verdict on the house. Five myths buyers get wrong, checked against the actual MLS rulebooks from Doorify, MRED and HiCentral, the NAR delayed marketing policy, and July 2026 contract-cancellation data.
Don Catalano, SIOR, CCIMRedfin found that homes flagged vacant in 2018 sold for $11,306 less - an association, not a rule. Here is what occupancy actually changes for a buyer: what an inspector may skip when utilities are off, how notice law runs from 12 hours to none, and why the tenant's lease usually survives the sale.
A few short reads on self-guided tours and finding your next home. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.