What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone?

[Tom Smith]

What are the ways to look inside homes for sale without anyone? I know there are Open Houses and New Home sales offices, but can I go into these homes and look around myself without any one being there to sell me something? I have never been to an open house so are they usually trying to sell you something or do they let you look around as you like and not bother you? Are there any other ways to check out the inside of a lot of houses for sale without anyone being there? 

[Joe Splitrock]

Originally posted by @Tom Smith:

The reason why I don't want to look at houses without someone present is because agents job is to sell you something and because of the high pressure environment. It is like buying a car. Wouldn't you rather test drive without having someone in the car with you talking to you and trying to get you to buy afterwards? Wouldn't it be great driving test driving multiple cars without having anyone there and pressuring you to buy each car you just drove instead of test driving 5+ cars?

If I become an agent myself, is that the only way to legally check out houses? I am brand new and never owned a home before so I want to look at as many houses as possible before I buy my first property.

You seem to have an almost irrational fear of sales people. My recommendation is next time you are approached by a sales person, explain to them that you have had high pressure sales people in the past and it makes you uncomfortable. Ask for them to give you space.

Most agents are not high pressure in the manner you describe. The key is communicating your needs up front to the agent. Let them know this is your first home and you want to look at many properties before buying. Make sure the agent understands you don't respond well to high pressure and that you will want to look at many houses before making a decision. Keep in mind that in a hot real estate market properties can sell quickly. Your agent may tell you, "if you are interested let's put an offer in as soon as possible". You may view that as pressure, but they are just trying to make sure you don't miss out on the opportunity. Buying a house ins't like buying a car. Houses are one of a kind and can sell quickly.

My agent walks around the house with me and points out good and bad features. He doesn't pressure me to buy. Honestly with your lack of experience, you would really benefit from an experienced agent to show you around a home.

Even if you have your real estate license, they don't just give you a magic key to let you into any house. You need to join an agency, which means you are taking a job and you would be expected to perform (sell). If you are uncomfortable even being around a sales person, there is no way you could succeed as an agent.