House Showing Checklist: What to Look for When Touring a Home

Before the showing

Ten minutes of preparation makes a twenty-minute tour far more useful. Arrive knowing what the listing claims so you can check those claims against the house in front of you.

• Re-read the listing and write down every specific claim (roof age, renovation year, included appliances, HOA fee, square footage).
• Note the asking price and how long the home has been listed.
• Look at the property on a map: what borders it on all four sides?
• Charge your phone; you will take more photos than you expect.
• Bring a tape measure or measuring app if furniture fit matters to you.
• Decide in advance which two or three must-haves would make this home a no.

First impressions

Record your gut reaction in one sentence before you start analyzing. It is useful later, when several homes have blurred together — but it should never outrank what you observe afterwards.

• How does the home smell on entry? Note anything musty, chemical or heavily air-freshened.
• Is the house being actively staged, and is anything unusually placed (a rug, a bookcase, a wall of boxes)?
• Temperature and humidity compared to outside.
• Overall level of upkeep versus the photos.

Neighborhood and location

You can renovate a kitchen; you cannot move the house. Give the surroundings as much attention as the interior, and try to see the street at more than one time of day.

• Condition and upkeep of neighboring properties.
• Traffic on the street and how fast it moves.
• Sidewalks, street lighting, on-street parking pressure.
• Nearby commercial, industrial or high-traffic uses.
• Distance to the places you actually go each week.
• Any construction or vacant land that could change the block.

Exterior

Walk the full perimeter of the house. Most buyers never do, and it is where the costliest observations tend to live.

• Siding, brick or stucco: cracks, gaps, soft spots, patched sections.
• Paint condition, especially on trim and around windows.
• Grade of the ground: does it slope away from the house or toward it?
• Condition of driveway, walkways, steps and railings.
• Decks, porches and fences: soft wood, movement, missing fasteners.
• Trees or large limbs overhanging the roof.
• Visible pest activity or wood damage near ground level.

Roof and drainage observations

You are not judging the roof's remaining life from the sidewalk — you are collecting observations and the seller's claimed roof age, both of which the inspector can then work with.

• From the ground, look for missing, curled, patched or mismatched shingles.
• Sagging or uneven roof lines.
• Gutters: attached, clear, and actually connected to downspouts.
• Where do downspouts discharge — against the foundation or away from it?
• Staining on soffits, fascia or exterior walls below the roof line.
• Ask for the claimed roof age and whether any of it was replaced or repaired.

Foundation and visible structural warning signs

Small cracks are common and often cosmetic; patterns matter more than individual cracks. Anything in this category is a note for a professional, never a conclusion you draw yourself.

• Stair-step cracking in masonry, or cracks wider at one end.
• Horizontal cracks or bowing in basement or foundation walls.
• Doors and windows that stick, or visible gaps at their corners.
• Floors that feel sloped or bouncy.
• Fresh paint or new drywall in only one localized area.
• Separation between trim, ceilings and walls.

Windows and doors

• Open and close several windows in different rooms — do they operate and latch?
• Fogging or moisture between double panes.
• Rot or soft spots on sills and frames.
• Weather-stripping and daylight visible around exterior doors.
• Do exterior doors close and lock without force?
• Are window types and ages consistent, or has only part of the house been updated?

Interior condition

• Floor condition in every room, including under rugs where you can lift a corner.
• Ceiling stains, patched areas or sagging.
• Wall cracks, nail pops and uneven surfaces.
• Quality of visible finish work — a proxy for how other work was done.
• Signs of DIY work that may not have been permitted.
• Any room that feels colder, warmer or damper than the rest.

Layout and room sizes

Photos flatten layouts. Walk the route you would actually take every morning: door to kitchen, kitchen to table, bedroom to bathroom.

• Does the flow between kitchen, dining and living space work for how you live?
• Bedroom placement relative to living areas and bathrooms.
• Room dimensions against the furniture you own.
• Hallway and doorway widths for moving furniture in.
• Wasted circulation space versus usable space.
• Where would you work, exercise or host if you do those things?

Storage

• Closet in every bedroom, and its actual depth.
• Coat, linen and utility storage.
• Kitchen cabinet and pantry capacity.
• Garage, basement, attic or shed storage.
• Anywhere to put bulky seasonal items.

Electrical observations

Look, do not test. Anything unusual here belongs on the inspector's list.

• Find the electrical panel: is it labeled, accessible, and does it look modern or original?
• Outlet count per room and whether they are two-prong or three-prong.
• GFCI outlets near sinks, in bathrooms, kitchen, garage and exterior.
• Visible extension cords used as permanent wiring.
• Exposed wiring, scorch marks or warm cover plates.
• Light switches that control nothing obvious.

Plumbing observations

• Run faucets in each bathroom and the kitchen: pressure, temperature, drainage speed.
• Flush toilets and watch how quickly the bowl refills.
• Look under every sink for staining, corrosion or active drips.
• Locate the water heater: note visible age, size, corrosion and where it drains.
• Locate the main water shutoff.
• Ask whether the property is on a public sewer or a septic system, and on city water or a well.

Heating and cooling

• Identify the heating and cooling type (forced air, heat pump, boiler, mini-splits, window units).
• Claimed age of each unit, and whether it has been serviced.
• Supply and return vents in each room — is any room unserved?
• Noise and airflow when the system runs.
• Filter condition and how easy it is to reach.
• Ask whether any room is known to be hard to heat or cool.

Water damage and moisture warning signs

Moisture is the one category worth slowing down for in every single room, because the visible sign is usually smaller than the underlying issue.

• Stains or discoloration on ceilings, especially below bathrooms and near the roof line.
• Baseboards that are swollen, warped or freshly repainted in one spot only.
• Musty smell in closets, basements or lower levels.
• Efflorescence (white powder) on masonry.
• Dehumidifiers running, or floor drains and sump pumps in use.
• Caulk and grout condition in showers and around tubs.

Basement or crawlspace, when applicable

• Is it finished, unfinished, or partially finished — and was the work permitted?
• Water lines or staining on walls and support posts.
• Sump pump present, and whether it has a discharge line outside.
• Insulation condition and any visible vapor barrier.
• Headroom, egress windows and stair safety.
• Smell, humidity and general air quality compared to upstairs.

Attic, when accessible

• Insulation depth and coverage, and whether it is disturbed anywhere.
• Daylight visible through the roof deck.
• Staining on rafters or sheathing.
• Ventilation: soffit, ridge or gable vents.
• Bathroom fans vented outside rather than into the attic.
• Evidence of rodents or nesting.

Appliances included with the property

What conveys with the sale is a contract question, not an assumption. Write down what you saw and confirm it in writing later.

• List each appliance present, with brand and visible condition.
• Ask which appliances are included in the sale.
• Washer and dryer hookups, and whether the units stay.
• Any remaining warranties or service records.
• Built-in items you assume stay: shelving, mounts, window treatments, water softener.

Noise and surroundings

• Stand still in the quietest room and listen for a full minute.
• Traffic, rail, flight paths, schools, bars, dogs, HVAC equipment next door.
• Sound transfer between rooms and floors inside the home.
• Shared walls in attached homes.
• Return at a different hour or day if the home is a serious contender.

Natural light

• Which direction does the main living space face?
• Rooms with only one small window, or none.
• Obstructions: trees, fences, neighboring buildings.
• How much of the lighting during the tour is artificial?
• Time of day of your visit — note it, because it changes everything here.

Parking and garage

• Garage size measured against your actual vehicles.
• Garage door operation, opener, and door between garage and house.
• Driveway condition, slope and turning space.
• Street parking rules and pressure.
• Electrical capacity in the garage if EV charging matters to you.

Questions to ask during the showing

Ask while you are standing in the room the question is about — answers are more specific that way. A fuller list lives in our guide to questions to ask when viewing a house.

• How long has the home been on the market, and have there been price changes?
• Why is the seller moving, if they are willing to share?
• What work has been done in the last five to ten years, and was it permitted?
• How old are the roof, HVAC, water heater and major appliances?
• Has the home ever had water intrusion, and what was done about it?
• What are the current property taxes and any HOA fees?
• What is included in the sale?
• Are there any known issues the seller has disclosed?

Things that require professional verification

Everything below is outside what a buyer can determine on a tour. Note what you observed, then let the appropriate licensed professional evaluate it.

• Structural and foundation concerns.
• Roof condition and remaining service life.
• Electrical system safety and capacity.
• Plumbing, sewer lines and septic systems.
• HVAC condition and sizing.
• Mold, moisture sources and air quality.
• Environmental testing where relevant to the property.
• Permits, boundaries, easements and title questions.

What to photograph or record

• Every room, from the doorway, in a consistent order.
• The electrical panel, water heater, furnace and their labels or data plates.
• Anything that concerned you, with a wider shot for context.
• Exterior from all four sides.
• The street in both directions.
• A short video walkthrough narrating what you notice.

What to do immediately after the showing

Do this in the car, before the next tour overwrites your memory. Five minutes now saves an hour of second-guessing later.

• Write your three biggest positives and three biggest concerns.
• Separate what you observed from what you were told.
• List every unanswered question and who can answer it.
• Record the numbers you were given so you can build a cost estimate.
• Rate the home against your must-haves while it is fresh.
• Decide the next action: revisit, ask for documents, or pass.