When relocating to a new area, there are a lot of folks that like to get a "feel" of the area by visiting open houses.  This may be their first "exploratory" trip to the area, or they may be visiting friends and family. 

So where's the best place to find which homes to hit on the weekend?  The newspaper is one place to check.  But it's hard to get good directions in 5 lines of print, or get a feel for what the home is like.  Another option is to have a real estate agent email any open homes that are listed in the MLS.  But some people just like to look on their own, without having to "bother" anyone. 

Try checking out TheOpenLook.com.  Here's some of the features that make this site easy to use:

• Each open home is pinpointed on a map of the area.  You can decide which to visit, and see right away how close they are to what you're looking for!
• Each home features up to 7 lines of very specific driving directions.  Print them out, and you're ready to go!  There's even a Google map included.
• Each open house features up to 8 high resolution photos - get a good preview before you hop in the car.
• Open houses are easy to search by date, location, or price point.

TheOpenLook.com is a newer website, but the buzz is starting amongst real estate agents, and it looks like the number of open homes featured here are going to start going up. 

The home page features "First Time Open Houses" - homebuyers can get a first look at homes just going on the market. 

Or request weekly updates when an open house in your price point or area is featured - handy to help keep an eye on what's available!

In short, this is a great website - one of the easiest to use I've seen.