How to Tour a Home: What to Look For and Red Flags to Watch Out For

Touring a home starts before you ever leave the house.

By the time we physically walk through a property, we already have access to a lot of information. Photos, listing details, disclosures, satellite imagery, street view, tax information, previous sales, and more.

Use it.

The goal before a showing is to find obvious deal breakers quickly. Then, once you get to the property, you can spend your time figuring out whether the home is actually worth pursuing.

Start With the Entire Listing

Before scheduling a showing, look through all of the photos and read the entire listing description.

Not just the kitchen.

Not just the renovated bathroom.

Look at the basement. Look at the mechanical room. Look at the backyard. Look at the garage. Pay attention to what is shown and what may be noticeably absent.

We also take a look at the property disclosures when a showing is scheduled. They can give us additional context about the home's history before we ever walk through the door.

Then pull up Google Earth.

Take a Trip Around the Neighborhood Without Leaving Your House

Google Earth and Street View are two of the easiest ways to rule out homes that were never going to work in the first place.

Zoom out and look around the property.

Does it back up to a major road?

Are there train tracks nearby?

Is there a commercial building behind the backyard?

How close are the neighboring homes?

Is there something about the location that would immediately make you uncomfortable living there?

Then drop into Street View and take a look around.

Drive down the street virtually. Look at the neighboring properties. Look at what is across the street and behind the house.

I have seen buyers get excited about a property online only to arrive and realize that it backs directly to a busy road.

That is completely avoidable.

Location is also one of the hardest things to compromise on because you cannot change it after you buy the house.

Grade the Home Before You Tour It

One framework we use with our buyers is our Property Grading System.

We look at five categories:

• Location
  
  
• Price
  
  
• Floorplan
  
  
• Condition
  
  
• Features
  
  

Each category receives a score of 0, 0.5, or 1 point, giving the property a total possible score of 5.

You can start this process online.

If a home scores a 2.5 or lower before we even see it, there is usually a good reason to reconsider whether it is worth touring.

Most of the homes our clients eventually write offers on fall somewhere between a 3 and 4.5.

You probably will not find a perfect 5.

That is okay.

The purpose of the score is not to find perfection. It gives you a logical framework for comparing homes when emotions start getting involved.

Once we get to the property, we update the score based on what we actually experience.

When You Arrive, Don't Rush Inside

Most buyers pull into the driveway and immediately want to see the kitchen.

We usually start outside.

The exterior can tell us a lot about how the home has been maintained, and one thing gets my attention faster than almost anything else:

Water.

Keeping water away from the house is incredibly important.

Start by looking at the grading around the foundation.

Does the ground slope away from the house, or does it direct water back toward it?

Look at the gutters and downspouts.

Are they connected?

Where are they depositing water?

Are they extending away from the foundation?

Then take a broader look around the property:

• Roof
  
  
• Gutters
  
  
• Flashing
  
  
• Siding or exterior facade
  
  
• Windows
  
  
• Chimney
  
  
• Air conditioning unit
  
  
• Trees near the home
  
  
• Cracked or settled concrete
  
  
• Drainage around the property
  
  

None of these automatically make a home a bad purchase.

They give us information.

A Red Flag Is Different From a Deal Breaker

This distinction matters.

A deal breaker is usually something you cannot reasonably change.

Location is the easiest example. If you hate that the home backs to a major road, we cannot move the road.

A red flag means we need more information.

An older roof can be replaced.

Old windows can be replaced.

An aging furnace or air conditioner can be replaced.

Those may be expensive projects, but there is a path to solving them.

A red flag should make us investigate further and understand the potential cost before deciding how to move forward.

Head to the Basement Before Falling in Love With the Kitchen

Once we go inside, it is natural to start imagining where your furniture will go.

We will get there.

First, I usually want to see the basement.

The basement gives us a look at some of the guts of the house.

We are looking at things like:

• Foundation
  
  
• Signs of water intrusion
  
  
• Mold
  
  
• Furnace and air conditioner
  
  
• Water heater
  
  
• Electrical panel
  
  
• Plumbing connections
  
  
• Sewer connections
  
  
• Floor joists and subfloor when accessible
  
  

Again, we are not trying to perform a home inspection during the showing.

We are trying to identify what is visible on the surface so we can make a more educated decision before writing an offer.

What Foundation Cracks Should You Pay Attention To?

A crack in the foundation does not automatically mean there is a structural problem.

Homes settle.

Concrete cracks.

What gets our attention more are things like wide horizontal cracks, significant movement, or cracks accompanied by signs of moisture.

One thing you may notice is efflorescence, which is the white, chalky residue that can appear on concrete or masonry when moisture moves through it.

That does not tell us exactly what is happening, but it tells us there may be a moisture issue worth investigating further.

That is where the appropriate inspector or specialist comes in.

Look for Evidence of Water

Water is one of the things we take seriously because the source of the problem is not always obvious.

Look for staining on basement walls, ceilings, drywall, or floors.

Pay attention to mold or musty smells.

Look around windows, plumbing fixtures, and foundation walls.

Sometimes the evidence is subtle.

Smell is one of those things buyers may notice subconsciously before they know what they are actually smelling. If something smells unusual, musty, or damp, we want to understand why.

It does not mean you should immediately walk away.

It means we should investigate it.

Understand the Age of the Major Systems

An old furnace is not automatically a red flag.

Neither is an older water heater, air conditioner, roof, or windows.

Age gives us context.

If a water heater is already well beyond its normal life expectancy, we should know that before writing an offer because you may be replacing it relatively soon.

The same thinking applies to the roof, HVAC equipment, windows, and other major components of the home.

We generally are not going to stand in a showing and give you an exact quote for what something will cost.

Our role is to help you understand the potential size of the issue. If we need a real number before moving forward, we can connect you with the proper vendor to evaluate it and provide a quote.

That information may ultimately affect the price or terms of the offer.

Take a Look at the Electrical Panel

The electrical panel can also give us useful information about the home.

We are looking for obvious concerns that deserve more investigation, including things like double-tapped breakers or wiring that appears inconsistent with what should be connected to the breaker.

Improperly sized wiring can create a safety issue.

This is another area where we are not pretending to be electricians. If something looks questionable, the next step is getting the right professional involved.

You Probably Can't Evaluate the Sewer During a Showing

The sewer line is a perfect example of why a showing and a home inspection serve different purposes.

We can look at visible plumbing and sewer connections. Sometimes there may even be evidence of previous repairs or recurring issues.

But we cannot see what is happening underground.

That is why a sewer scope can be so valuable.

Tree roots, breaks, deterioration, bellies in the line, and other problems may be impossible to identify just by walking through the house.

The showing helps us identify what we can.

The inspection process allows us to go much deeper.

Now Start Thinking About Your Life in the Home

Once we have taken a look at the exterior, basement, and major systems, now we can start focusing more heavily on how the home actually feels.

Walk through the rooms.

Picture your furniture.

Think about your morning routine.

Think about where everyone is going to spend their time.

And pay particular attention to the floorplan.

Paint is easy to change.

Carpet can be replaced.

Cabinets can be refinished or replaced.

A bad floorplan is considerably more difficult and expensive to change.

Cosmetics can also work in both directions.

An outdated home may cause buyers to overlook a great property because they cannot see past the paint and carpet.

A beautifully renovated home can make buyers overlook bigger issues because they are focused on the finishes.

Try to separate the two.

Your Agent Shouldn't Be Selling You the Hardwood Floors

Our role during a showing is different from yours.

You know whether you like the kitchen.

You know whether you like hardwood floors.

You know whether the primary bedroom feels big enough.

We want you to explore the house and experience it.

While you are doing that, we are looking at the home from another angle.

How much work does this property appear to need?

What could those projects mean financially?

How does the asking price compare with the home's market value?

How difficult could this property eventually be to resell?

Are there characteristics that future buyers may view differently?

We are there to help you evaluate the investment while you decide whether the home fits your life.

An Imperfect Home Can Still Be a Great Purchase

Finding issues does not automatically mean we should avoid the house.

Sometimes a property is a fantastic fit but has years of deferred maintenance.

That changes how we approach it.

We may need to account for those projects when determining the price we are comfortable offering.

We may structure the offer differently.

We may want additional inspections or contractor opinions.

The objective is to understand what you are buying so you are not taking on more than you realistically want to handle.

The Inspection Isn't Our Plan for Renegotiating the Entire Deal

This is also why we try to identify visible issues during the showing.

The inspection gives us an opportunity to discover things we could not reasonably know beforehand and investigate potential problems in much greater detail.

Our strategy is not to knowingly ignore visible issues, write whatever price gets the offer accepted, and then try to renegotiate the entire deal during inspection.

If the roof is visibly old when we write the offer, we should be considering that when determining what the home is worth to you.

If the inspection then discovers a major problem we could not see, that is new information we can evaluate.

The more we know going into the offer, the better decision we can make.

Know When You Are Done With a House

There is also no prize for staying at a showing for 45 minutes after you already know the house is not right for you.

If you discover a true deal breaker, move on.

I have watched buyers rule a home out in the first ten minutes and then spend another thirty minutes trying to find reasons to like it.

You do not have to make every home work.

If you have to search for a reason to love the home, it is probably not the right home for you.

That time is better spent finding one that is.

Grade the Property Again Before You Leave

After the showing, go back to the Property Grading System.

Score the home again on:

Location. Price. Floorplan. Condition. Features.

Do it while the property is still fresh in your mind.

This becomes especially important when you are seeing four, five, or six homes in the same day.

Eventually, the kitchens start blending together.

The grading system forces you to put a logical value on what you just experienced.

Maybe the home looked like a 4 online but dropped to a 3 after seeing the condition.

Maybe a home you were unsure about online becomes a 4 once you experience the floorplan and neighborhood.

Now you have a much clearer way to compare it with everything else you have seen.

Experience the Neighborhood Too

If a home becomes a serious contender, spend some time in the area beyond the showing.

Drive through the neighborhood at different times of day.

See what rush hour looks like.

Visit the local coffee shop.

Go to the grocery store you would actually use.

Drive your commute.

Think about what your normal Tuesday would look like living there.

A house can check nearly every box and still be in an area that does not fit the way you want to live.

You are buying more than the structure.

The Tour Starts Before You Leave the House

A productive home tour has a process.

Do your research before you go.

Look for obvious deal breakers online.

When you arrive, see whether that research matches what you are actually experiencing at the property.

Pay attention to the exterior and the major systems before getting distracted by finishes.

Understand which problems can be solved and which characteristics you will have to live with.

Then give yourself permission to picture your life there.

You do not need a perfect 5 out of 5.

You need a home where the compromises make sense, the risks are understood, and the overall property supports what you are trying to accomplish.

Want Help Building Your Home-Buying Strategy?

If you are considering buying a home and want help figuring out what to look for, what homes are worth touring, and how to evaluate them once you get there, we would be happy to help.

You can schedule a strategy session with us. It is completely free, there is no obligation to work with us, and we can walk through your goals and help you build a plan for your search.

[Book a Free Home-Buying Strategy Session]

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