Finding a new place to live can be one of life’s biggest stressors – especially if you’ve got multiple open homes packed into a single Saturday. But it doesn’t have to be.

If you’re gearing up to move into a new rental or looking for a place to buy, you might be (completely and understandably) daunted by the prospect. Besides switching jobs and having a child, house-hunting is easily among life’s most stressful events.

One of the most harrowing parts of the process? A Saturday filled with back-to-back open homes and trying to get around in the most efficient way possible.

But, the experience of touring prospective pads doesn’t have to be a trying one.

With a few useful tips up your sleeve and a bit of planning, your day of open-for-inspections can be smooth, stress-free, and significantly more successful.

Here’s how.

1.   Create an itinerary

First things first: knock up a detailed itinerary to plan out your day. You’ll likely have numerous open houses to attend, and you may have trouble keeping tabs on their locations and times.

This is where the realestate.com.au Inspection Planner can come in handy. You can save property listings and add them to your personalised inspection itinerary, which then displays them in chronological order.

Next, create a custom map that gives you the most efficient travel routes. You can use Google My Maps to do this; simply plug in the property addresses, arrange them in order of inspection time and turn on the ‘directions’ feature.

2.   Take an arsenal of investigative tools

While an online property listing can tell you a lot about a prospective home, there are certain things you’ll only detect in person. This is why it’s essential you rock up to each open-for-inspection with the right investigative tools.

Pack a bag with a (fully charged) mobile phone for taking photos and videos; a notebook so you can jot down any issues, comments from the agent or other important things of note; and a tape measure to check the property’s dimensions.

Ensure your photos/videos, comments and measurements are properly organised, too. Create an individual album for every property and a new page (with the address clearly marked at the top) for each body of notes.

3.   Organise the right transport

Sure, you could ferry yourself around on a bus or train, or by taxi, but having your own set of wheels will make your day a lot less stressful – because relying on weekend public transport schedules can be fraught with danger.

If you don’t have your own, don’t let that deter you, because there are some excellent solutions. Uber Carshare is a fantastic option, allowing you to rent a car in your local area and drive yourself to each and every inspection.

The platform also offers a wide range of cars, vans and utes (ideal come moving day), 24/7 support and roadside assistance, and damage and loss cover included in every trip.

Plus, Uber Carshare vehicles are bookable by both the hour and the day,or however long you need, meaning you can rent a car for the time that suits your open-for-inspection schedule.

4.   Bring snacks!

If you’re traversing the city all day, you’re bound to get hungry – especially if one of the inspections is taking place over lunchtime.

To save yourself the stress (and inevitable feelings of hangriness) of trying to track down the nearest food joint between inspections, take a decent lunch and a stockpile of snacks.

Don’t be afraid to pack too much; like any critical operation, you’re always better off being overprepared.

Make sure you’ve got plenty of water, too. Chatting to multiple agents, asking numerous questions and having countless debates with your partner, friend or housemate about whether property A or property B offers more natural light is thirsty work.

5.   Be flexible

Despite your very best efforts, you may not make it to every single property. There could be two inspections taking place at the same time, you might hit unexpected weekend traffic, or perhaps you end up lingering a little too long at one property because you simply loved it that much.

But that’s totally OK. Go into your day of inspections with a flexible mindset and try not to get too stressed if you end up missing one.

You might find another inspection is scheduled at a later date or, if the property’s unoccupied, there’s always the possibility of organising a private tour. Ring up the agent after the open house and see what your options are.

The less you agonise over the experience, the more simple and stress-free your day will be.

Treat it as a fun – rather than fraught – adventure and things will always work out.

Sourced from realestate.com