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The House Hunting Checklist
Every Buyer Needs
After three or four tours, every home starts to blur together. This checklist tells you exactly what to inspect, what to ask, and how to score each home so the right choice is obvious, not a guess.
2 pages: room-by-room checklist + a scorecard to print per home
What to check at every house tour
Work through these on every tour. Asking for the age of the roof, HVAC, and water heater alone can save you from a five-figure surprise.
Before the tour
- Review the listing photos and seller disclosures
- Look up property taxes and HOA fees
- Check commute times at rush hour, not midday
- Research recent sale prices for similar homes nearby
- Drive the neighborhood at night, when noise and lighting change
Exterior & structure
- Roof: age, missing shingles, sagging lines
- Foundation: cracks, uneven floors, sticking doors
- Siding, paint, and trim condition
- Gutters and drainage: water should flow away from the house
- Windows: age, broken seals, condensation between panes
- Yard grading, fencing, and mature trees near the roofline
Systems (ask for ages)
- HVAC: age, last service date, airflow in every room
- Water heater: age and capacity for your household
- Electrical panel: capacity and breaker condition
- Plumbing: run faucets, check water pressure and drain speed
- Any signs of moisture, mold, or a musty smell
Interior
- Does the layout work for your actual daily routine?
- Natural light in the rooms you will use most
- Storage: closets, garage, attic, basement
- Floors: condition and levelness (a marble will tell you)
- Walls and ceilings: stains or suspiciously fresh patches
- Noise from the street or shared walls
Kitchen & bathrooms
- Appliance ages and condition
- Cabinets, counters, and under-sink leaks
- Water pressure in showers and sinks
- Ventilation and exhaust fans that actually vent outside
- Tile, grout, and caulk condition
Questions for your agent
- Why is the seller moving?
- How long has it been on the market?
- Have there been any offers or price changes?
- How old are the roof, HVAC, and water heater?
- Were renovations done with permits?
- What do the sellers pay in utilities?
After the tour: score it while it's fresh
The second page of the PDF is a scorecard: rate each home 1 to 5 on kitchen, layout, condition, neighborhood, commute, and value right after you leave. When you're deciding between finalists, you'll compare scores instead of fuzzy memories.
Prefer your phone over paper?
The CazaHQ app does what this checklist does, plus photos, notes, and side-by-side comparison of every home you tour. Free on the App Store.
House hunting FAQs
What should I bring to a house tour?
Bring this checklist (printed or on your phone), a phone for photos, a tape measure if you have specific furniture concerns, and a way to take notes on each home. If you tour more than two or three homes, notes are essential. Details blur together within days.
How many houses should I tour before buying?
Most buyers tour somewhere between 5 and 15 homes. There is no right number, but after the third or fourth tour, homes genuinely start to blur together. That is why keeping structured notes on each one matters more than touring more homes.
What are the biggest red flags when touring a house?
Water stains or musty smells (moisture problems), cracks in the foundation or above door frames (structural movement), an aging roof, HVAC, or water heater (each is a four-to-five-figure replacement), DIY-looking electrical or plumbing work, and suspiciously fresh paint patches that may hide damage.
How do I compare the houses I have toured?
Score each home on the same categories (kitchen, layout, condition, neighborhood, commute, and value) right after the tour while details are fresh. Then compare scores side-by-side rather than relying on memory. The printable scorecard in this checklist covers it, or the CazaHQ app can do it on your phone with photos and notes attached.