Questions to Ask When Viewing a House
Skip to the checklistAsk the agent why the owners are selling and how long the house has been listed. Ask whether any offers fell through. Ask how old the roof and big systems are. Ask about past water leaks and insurance claims, and what utilities, taxes and any HOA dues cost per year. Check for yourself too: ceiling water stains, damp smells, cracks in walls or the foundation, sloping floors and sticking doors. Run the taps, look at the electrical panel for scorch marks, and see whether the ground outside slopes away from the house. Mark every house on the same list so you can compare them before you make an offer.
The checklist on this page changes with the house. Pick the home type, the build year and the state, then turn local conditions such as freezing winters, a hurricane coast or a wildfire area on or off. Items that do not apply drop out: a condo loses the roof and basement checks, and a house built in 1978 or later loses the lead-paint items. Mark answers and problems as you walk through, then tap Print or save as PDF; the printed sheet has three house columns for the next showings.
The Complete House Viewing Checklist
Every item the tool can include. Items marked "only if" appear in the tool when your answers match.
Ask the Agent or Seller
- Why are the owners selling, and how long has it been on the market? A long listing or a rushed sale changes how much room you have to negotiate.
- Have there been offers, price cuts, or a sale that fell through? Ask why a deal fell apart; it is often an inspection problem.
- How old are the roof, heating, air conditioning and water heater? These are the big replacements you would pay for soonest. Only if: House or townhouse
- How old are the unit's heating, air conditioning and water heater, and when was the building's roof replaced? Only if: Condo
- Has there ever been water in the basement, a roof leak or a burst pipe, and any insurance claims? Water damage is one of the costliest problems to find after you buy. Only if: House or townhouse
- Have there been leaks from neighboring units or the roof, and any insurance claims? Only if: Condo
- What repairs or renovations were done, by whom, and were they permitted?
- What do utilities, property taxes and insurance cost per year? Home affordability calculator
- What are the HOA dues, what do they cover, and are any special assessments planned? Also ask about rules on rentals and pets. Only if: Condo or townhouse
- Can I see the seller's disclosure form before I make an offer? What a seller must disclose is set by state law.
- Built before 1978: is there any known lead-based paint? Sellers of pre-1978 homes must give buyers the federal lead disclosure. Only if: Built before 1978 (or not sure) (EPA)
- Is it on city water and sewer, or a well and septic system? Only if: House
- Which appliances, fixtures and window coverings are included in the sale?
- Any flooding, noise or planned construction nearby? Look up the address on the FEMA flood map too. (FEMA Flood Map Service Center)
- Has the house had storm damage, and does it have shutters or impact windows? Only if: Hurricane-prone coast, not a condo (Ready.gov)
- Can a new owner get homeowners insurance here, and at what cost? Only if: Hurricane-prone coast or wildfire area
Check With Your Own Eyes
- Water stains on ceilings and walls, around windows and under sinks A fresh coat of paint on just one patch of ceiling can be covering a leak.
- Musty, damp, smoke or pet smells Smells point to moisture, mold or odors that are hard to remove.
- Basement or crawlspace: damp walls, water lines, white residue, a sump pump Only if: House or townhouse
- Cracks in walls or the foundation, sloping floors, doors that stick Wide, stair-step or horizontal cracks are worth an inspector's opinion. Only if: House or townhouse
- Roof from the street: missing or curling shingles, sagging, overflowing gutters Only if: House or townhouse
- Hallways, stairs and other common areas: signs of upkeep or neglect Neglected common areas can mean low HOA reserves. Only if: Condo
- Run the shower and kitchen tap: water pressure, how long hot water takes, leaks below
- Electrical panel and outlets: scorch marks, two-prong outlets, flickering lights
- Turn on the heat and the air conditioning; look for the manufacture date on the unit's label
- Open a few windows and doors: do they move, latch and seal, with no fogged glass?
- Outside: ground sloping away from the house, drainage, trees over the roof Only if: House or townhouse
- Old wiring or pipes: two-prong outlets, knob-and-tube, galvanized or lead pipes Only if: Built before 1978 (EPA)
- Peeling or chipping paint (built before 1978, it may contain lead) Only if: Built before 1978 (or not sure) (EPA)
- Gray plastic supply pipes under sinks (polybutylene, common from about 1978 to 1995) Only if: Built 1978 to 1999
- Pipes in exterior walls, the garage or crawlspace, and how they are insulated Only if: Freezing winters, not a condo (American Red Cross)
- Dry brush or wood piles against the house; vents and roofing that resist embers Only if: Wildfire area, not a condo (Ready.gov)
- Water heater strapped to the wall Only if: Earthquake area (Ready.gov)
How the Checklist Is Built
Our house viewing checklist puts direct questions for the agent or seller first, ordered by our editorial judgment of how costly each is to miss. Ask why the owners are selling and how long the house has been on the market. A long listing or a rushed sale changes how much room you have to negotiate. Ask about offers, price cuts and any sale that fell through, and why, because a deal often falls apart over an inspection problem. The ages of the roof, heating, air conditioning and water heater tell you which big replacement you would pay for first. Ask about water in the basement, roof leaks, burst pipes and insurance claims too. Water damage is one of the costliest problems to find after you buy.
Then check the house yourself to see whether its condition matches what the agent told you. Look for water stains on ceilings, around windows and under sinks. Fresh paint on just one patch of ceiling can be covering a leak. Musty, damp, smoke or pet smells point to moisture, mold or odors that are hard to remove. Watch for sloping floors, doors that stick, and cracks in walls or the foundation. Wide, stair-step or horizontal cracks are worth an inspector's opinion. Run the shower and kitchen tap to check water pressure. Look at the electrical panel and outlets for scorch marks and two-prong outlets, and make sure the ground outside slopes away from the house.
The home type, build year and local conditions change both lists. A condo drops the roof, basement, foundation and drainage checks, and adds the HOA dues question and a check of the hallways and common areas. A house built before 1978, or of unknown age, adds lead items, because sellers of those homes must disclose known lead-based paint under the EPA real estate disclosure rule. Older homes can also have old wiring and lead pipes or solder, and homes built from about 1978 to 1995 often have gray polybutylene supply pipes. In our internal comparison, the same rules gave a 1965 Denver house 12 questions and 14 checks, and a Miami condo built after 2000 11 questions and 7 checks.
Mark every house on the same list as you walk through it. Tap Good, Unsure or Problem for each item, and write what the agent says in the "Their answer" boxes under each question. A summary card counts your Good, Unsure and Problem marks, shows how many items you have not marked yet, and lists the first three Problem items. The checklist adds up your own marks and gives no score. To compare houses, use the printed sheet's three columns. Or print each house's sheet before you mark the next house, because the screen holds one house at a time. Then compare the Problem items. Before touring, you can check your price range with the home affordability calculator.
A viewing is your first look at a house and does not replace a professional inspection. A licensed home inspector checks the systems in detail, usually after your offer is accepted. Our home inspection checklist covers that stage, and the home buying checklist covers the rest of the purchase. State law sets what a seller must disclose about the home's condition, so ask for the disclosure form before you make an offer. To see the address's flood zone, look it up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Print the sheet before you go to an open house or showing. Ask the agent your questions while you are both in the house, and write down the answers. Mark each house the same way as you walk through it. Then compare the Problem items on each house's sheet to decide which house is worth an offer that is contingent on an inspection.
A worked example
In our internal comparison, we ran the checklist's rules on three example homes from our 33-item library and counted the items each one keeps. With the default answers (a house, build year Not sure, freezing winters on), the checklist shows 11 questions to ask and 12 things to check.
For a house built in 1965 in Denver, Colorado, the state preset turns on freezing winters and wildfire area. The list grows to 12 questions and 14 checks. It adds the question about getting homeowners insurance, a check for old wiring or pipes, and a check for dry brush or wood piles against the house.
A condo built after 2000 in Miami, Florida keeps 11 questions but only 7 checks. It swaps in the condo versions of the systems and leak questions. It adds the HOA dues question, the homeowners insurance question for the hurricane coast, and a check of hallways and common areas. It drops the basement, foundation, roof, drainage, frozen-pipe and peeling-paint checks, along with the city water or septic question and the lead-paint question. The complete list under the checklist shows the rule behind every item.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Judging the house by its staging. The furniture leaves with the seller, but the roof, furnace and electrical panel stay.
- Not asking why the owners are selling, or why an earlier sale fell through.
- Trusting your memory after three or four houses in one afternoon. Mark each house before you leave it.
- Skipping the hands-on checks: run the taps, open a few windows, and smell the basement or crawlspace.
- Treating the viewing as the inspection. A licensed inspector checks the systems in detail, usually after your offer is accepted.
Frequently asked questions
What are some good questions to ask at an open house?
Ask the hosting agent why the owners decided to sell and how many days the property has been on the market. Inquire if any past offers were withdrawn after an inspection and ask for the age of the roof, furnace, and water heater. You should also request recent utility costs, annual property taxes, and any applicable homeowners association fees.
What to know before going to an open house?
Know your price range and the questions you plan to ask. Check your budget with the home affordability calculator, print this checklist, and look up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. At the open house, write down the agent's answers and ask for the seller's disclosure form before you make an offer.
What are the biggest red flags to avoid when buying a house?
Red flags include water stains on ceilings, musty smells in the basement, and isolated patches of fresh paint that might conceal active leaks. You should also watch for wide or stair-step cracks in foundation walls, sticking interior doors, sagging roof lines, and scorched electrical panels. Unpermitted renovation work, or trouble getting homeowners insurance, is also a serious warning sign.
What not to do when touring a house?
Avoid skipping direct questions about past insurance claims, roof leaks, and previous failed offers. Do not forget to turn on water taps, test window locks, and inspect under sinks, and never rely on memory alone when viewing several homes in a single weekend.
What should I look for when viewing a house for the first time?
Look for visible signs of structural and moisture issues, including wall cracks, sloping floors, damp smells, and water marks on ceilings. Test water pressure in the bathrooms, inspect the electrical breaker box, and open windows to verify that frames are not stuck or leaking air. Outside, examine the roof line from the street and check that the ground slopes away from the foundation.
How do I compare houses after viewing them?
Mark every house on the same list. The printed sheet has three house columns, so you can fill in the next showings by hand, or print each house's sheet before you mark the next house on screen. The summary card counts your Good, Unsure and Problem marks and lists the first three Problem items. The checklist gives no score, so compare the houses on those Problem items.
Should I bring this checklist to the showing?
Yes. Print it before you go and write the agent's answers next to each question as you walk through. Mark problems room by room so you are not relying on memory. The printed sheet has a column for each of three houses, so you can compare them side by side at home.
Is a house viewing the same as a home inspection?
No, an initial house viewing is simply your first walkthrough to determine whether you want to purchase the property. A licensed home inspector checks the systems in detail, usually after your offer is accepted, and you can make the offer contingent on that inspection. See what an inspector checks on our home inspection checklist.
Can I print this house viewing checklist?
Yes, clicking the Print or save as PDF button formats your customized list into a clean sheet ready for paper or digital saving. The printed layout includes columns for three homes, complete with address lines, a mark for every item, and dedicated note sections. The Clear button erases your marks, answers and notes.
Sources
We prioritize primary sources for rules, formulas, rates, limits, and definitions. See our calculator methodology and editorial policy.