20 Questions to Ask When Viewing An Open House

Curious what questions to ask when viewing an open house? Here are some examples of questions you can ask the realtor or seller as well as things to check as you move through the property.  You can also download the checklist here so you can take it with you to your next open house visit. For more information check out my blog post: The Beginner’s Guide to Buying Your First Investment Property here

Outside The Property

1. How’s the Neighbourhood and similar properties on the street?
2. The outside of the building – is it well maintained; does it look secure?
3. Check out the parkade and storage locker (if applicable)
4. Check out the garbage room
5. Pay attention to how secure (or unsecure) the building seems
6. Amenities like gym, sauna, pool – will there be higher strata fees in future because of these?
7. If you’re looking at an older condo building, ask when the roof, boilers and pipes were last updated.
8. Ask about any upcoming special levies and if so, how much they will be
9. If there are other listings in the building, check those out too to compare and contrast. Ask people in the building how they feel about living there.

Inside the Property

1. Ask why the sellers are selling and if they’re looking for a quick or long close?
2. Spend time in the unit opening all doors, windows, drawers, cabinets, etc.
3. Turn on all the lights in all the rooms
4. Turn on all the taps, shower(s) and flush toilets to check water pressure
5. Open and close every door, cupboard and closet to make sure they all work
6. Open the fridge, stove, washer and dryer
7. Turn on oven and stove burners
8. Open windows to make sure none are jammed
9. Check the paint throughout – ask about inconsistencies – are they hiding/ trying
   to cover up something bad? look at the ceiling inside of closets just in case ceiling leaks were covered up/painted over but they didn’t paint the inside of the closets.
10. Check ceilings in the garage or basement (if applicable), closets, etc. for leaks/ cracks
11. Ask about restrictions (future re-sale value) i.e., visitor parking, pets, rentals, etc.

There you have it, 20 questions to ask when viewing an open house  And for even more, check out my 8 tips for Buying a Condo in Vancouver, Awesome Real Estate Investing Books for Canadians.