Perusing online real estate listings can be nothing less than addictive. We’ve all spent time scouring the internet, ogling homes for sale that we don’t intend—or can’t afford—to buy. Because it’s fun!

But would you ever hop in the car and go look at a house in person, even if you’re not at all ready to make an offer?

Before you dismiss the idea, consider what you stand to gain by turning house hunting into an extracurricular activity.

Just ask Kristin McGrath. She and her husband visited all sorts of open houses in Austin, TX, while they got their finances in order to buy. They wanted to hit the ground running in the competitive real estate market.

“After weeks of checking out other homes, when we started looking for real, we could visit houses and jump in with an offer without a ton of deliberation,” she says.

Sure, it might seem nosy at first—and we’re certainly not encouraging you to be a straight-up looky-loo. But regardless of whether buying or selling is in your near or distant future, there are many benefits to going to an open house.

Like what? We’re glad you asked! Here are six solid reasons to hit up an open house next weekend.

Reason No. 1: Learn more about what you can afford

What you want to buy and what you can afford to buy are often two very different things.

Unfortunately, you don’t always figure that out until you’re deep in the process of house hunting, perhaps with your heart set on a dream home that will drain your finances and make you house-poor.

“Many first-time home buyers ask me to find them something that doesn’t exist,” says Melissa Colabella, licensed real estate salesperson with Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty, in Irvington, NY. “They are often shocked to learn that single-family homes do not even exist in their price range in their preferred neighborhoods.”

Attending open houses lets you get a grip on what you can realistically expect to find in your budget. Sure, you can enter a price range online on realtor.com®—but remember that perusing online listings is only the first step of the process. Often, actual homes look quite different from their online photos, which can be focused on or touched up to show only the best parts of the property.

Reason No. 2: See the agent in action

Even if you don’t find your dream home, you might meet your dream agent. What better way to interview the candidates who could represent you on either side of the transaction than by seeing them in action, points out Realtor® Patrick Madigan, owner of Madigan Realty, in Raleigh, NC.

While most sellers interview multiple agents to find the best fit, he finds buyers rarely do—which can be a mistake.

“Open houses present a great opportunity to get multiple face-to-face appointments with potential agents, without having to set up a formal appointment to interview them,” he says.

Be alert to whether the agent engages you when you first come in or is too busy to acknowledge and help you. And come armed with a few insightful questions about the local market to see if the agent seems knowledgeable about more than just that one open house, Madigan suggests.

Reason No. 3: Check out the competition

Traffic at an open house can be a gauge for whether the sellers have found a sweet spot with their price, since a new listing should be attracting multiple visitors when priced correctly.

If you’re a buyer, the number of visitors can indicate how quickly you might need to pounce when you decide you’re ready. (And it can tell you how to price your own home to move fast if you’re selling.)

“Some markets will allow for you to have a few days to mull over your decision, but an open house with 34 visitors can indicate your offer needs to be submitted right away,” Colabella says.

You’ll also get a face-to-face look at your competition. If you listen carefully, you might pick up some intel about the kind of buyer the seller is looking for. Even if you don’t intend to buy this house, the info might come in handy down the road.

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