Most people walk an open house looking at the kitchen. The kitchen is the easiest thing in the house to change and the easiest thing to stage. Here is what is worth your attention instead – things that are expensive to fix, hard to hide, and rarely mentioned in the listing.
Before you go in
Stand at the kerb for thirty seconds. Which way does the back of the house face? South and west get afternoon sun; north-facing yards in the Fraser Valley stay damp and cold through the winter. Look at the roofline for sagging or patched sections, and look at where the neighbouring houses sit relative to the windows you would be living behind.
Then walk the perimeter if you can. You are looking at how the ground slopes. Ground that slopes toward the house is how basements get wet.
The twelve things worth checking inside
- The smell in the first four seconds. Your nose adjusts fast, so pay attention the moment you step in. Damp and mustiness are the two that matter, and they are strongest in basements, in closets on exterior walls, and under sinks.
- Under every sink. Open the cupboard doors. You are looking for staining on the base of the cabinet, warped particleboard, and any bucket or towel that has been left there for a reason.
- The ceilings, especially corners and around light fittings. Water travels. A faint brown ring or a patch of fresh paint on one small area of an otherwise older ceiling is worth asking about.
- The windows. Open two or three. Do they slide easily? Is there condensation trapped between the panes? A fogged double glazed unit means a failed seal, and if one has gone the rest are usually the same age.
- The age of the big four. Roof, furnace, hot water tank, windows. Ask outright how old each one is. These are the expensive items and their remaining life is a real part of what you are paying.
- The electrical panel. Open the door and look. Is it a breaker panel or fuses? Is there any spare capacity? Is there any sign of amateur work – mismatched breakers, handwritten labels crossed out repeatedly?
- Water pressure, on the top floor. Run a tap and flush a toilet at the same time. Pressure that collapses is worth knowing about.
- Floor level. Walk the upstairs slowly. Do you feel a slope? Do interior doors swing open or closed on their own when left halfway? That is a levelling issue, and it is not cosmetic.
- Storage you would actually use. Not the staged closet with six shirts in it. Where does a vacuum live? Where do coats and boots go in a Fraser Valley winter? Where does the recycling sit?
- Noise. Stand still in the main bedroom and stay quiet for a full minute. Traffic, trains, aircraft paths, the pump on a neighbouring pool. Open house hours are usually the quietest part of the week.
- Mobile signal. Check it in the basement and the back bedroom, not just the front hall.
- Parking, honestly assessed. Will your actual vehicle fit in that garage with the doors open? Where does a second car go? What are the street parking rules?
If it is a strata
The unit is only half of what you are buying. Ask the agent hosting the open house for the Form B Information Certificate, the depreciation report, the current bylaws and the last two years of minutes.
Read the minutes first. Everything that is about to become expensive – roof replacements, envelope repairs, plumbing, elevator work – gets discussed in the minutes for a year or more before it becomes a special levy. Also look at the contingency reserve fund balance relative to the size of the building, and check the bylaws for anything that affects you: pets, rentals, age restrictions, barbecues on balconies.
Questions worth asking the agent at the door
- How long has it been on the market, and has the price changed?
- Why are the owners selling, and what timing are they hoping for?
- Has it been under contract before and fallen through? If so, what happened?
- What work has been done, and are there permits for it?
- Is there a Property Disclosure Statement I can read?
You may not get a full answer to all of them. Ask anyway – what you learn from how a question is answered is often as useful as the answer.
One thing to remember about who you are talking to
The agent hosting an open house usually represents the seller. They must be honest and accurate with you, but they are not there to advise you on what to offer, and anything you volunteer about your budget or your enthusiasm is information you have handed to the other side of the negotiation. It is fine to be friendly. Just be aware which side of the table they sit on.
Take notes, and take photographs
After the third open house they blur together and you will misremember which one had the good basement. Photograph the electrical panel, the hot water tank label, anything that concerned you, and the view from the main bedroom window.
The short version
Kitchens and paint are cheap to change. Water, structure, noise and orientation are not. Spend your twenty minutes on the things you cannot fix, and take the strata documents home with you.
Our agents are at open houses across Surrey, Langley, Delta and White Rock most weekends. If you would rather have somebody in your corner walking through with you, just ask.