Before You Fall in Love With a House: 10 Things to Look for During a Showing
Written by Gillian Gooch, Broker/Realtor®
September 10, 2026
It happens quickly.
You walk through the front door and see the kitchen you have been saving on Pinterest for years. There is a big window over the sink, the living room has just the right amount of natural light, and you have already decided where the Christmas tree will go.
Before you know it, you are mentally arranging furniture in a house you have been standing in for approximately seven minutes.
There is nothing wrong with getting excited about a home. In fact, finding a property that feels right is one of the best parts of buying a house. But when I am showing homes, part of my job is to notice the things my buyers may not be looking at because they are busy imagining their lives there.
A showing is not a home inspection, and it should never take the place of one. But you can learn quite a bit about a property before you ever reach the inspection stage if you know where to look.
1. Look Up, Down and Around
Most buyers naturally look straight ahead when touring a home. They notice paint colors, countertops, furniture and room sizes.
Make yourself look up and down, too.
Look at ceilings for discoloration or repaired areas. Look around windows and exterior doors. Notice flooring that appears damaged, uneven or recently replaced in one isolated area. None of these things automatically means there is a serious problem, but they may give you questions to ask.
Cosmetic features are easy to notice. The clues that tell you more about how a house has been maintained sometimes require a little more attention.
2. Pay Attention to Water
Water can cause some of the most expensive problems in a home, so I pay attention to where it goes.
Outside, look at how the property slopes. Are there low areas where water might collect? Where do the downspouts discharge? Is soil pulled away from the foundation or piled against it? If there is a basement or crawl space, are there visible signs of moisture?
Inside, look beneath sinks and around plumbing fixtures. Notice staining, musty odors or areas that appear to have been recently repaired.
Again, you are not inspecting the home. You're simply paying attention.
3. Don't Ignore Your Nose
This sounds funny until you've toured enough houses.
A strong air freshener doesn't necessarily mean anything. Neither does a musty smell on its own. But unusual odors are worth noticing.
Pets, cigarette smoke, moisture, mildew and other odors can sometimes be difficult or expensive to eliminate. If something smells unusual, don't dismiss it simply because you love everything else about the house.
4. Think Beyond the Pretty Kitchen
Kitchens sell houses for a reason. They're often where we gather, entertain and spend a significant amount of time.
But look beyond the finishes.
Is there enough storage? Where will the trash can go? Is there a pantry? Is there enough counter space for the way you actually cook? Can the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven open comfortably without interfering with one another?
A beautiful room isn't necessarily a functional one.
The same applies throughout the house. Think about how you actually live rather than how the home photographs.
5. Notice the Big-Ticket Items
You don't need to know how to evaluate an HVAC system or determine the remaining life of a roof. That's where qualified professionals come in.
You should, however, know that those items exist.
Ask about the approximate ages of the roof, HVAC system and water heater. If the home has a septic system, well, pool or other major components, understand that those deserve attention as well.
A home with dated carpet and paint but well-maintained major systems may be a very different financial proposition from a beautifully renovated home with expensive systems nearing the end of their useful lives.
6. Open the Closets
Storage is one of those things buyers often underestimate until after they move in.
Open closets. Look at the pantry. Find the linen storage. Think about holiday decorations, vacuum cleaners, luggage, sports equipment and everything else that has to live somewhere.
If the home has a garage, don't just picture your cars parked there. Consider whether there is room for the lawn mower, tools, bicycles, shelving and whatever else your household needs.
Square footage matters, but usable square footage matters more.
7. Listen
Spend a few moments being quiet.
Can you hear traffic? Dogs? A nearby business? Airplanes? Trains? Neighbors?
Some buyers aren't bothered by any of those things. Others are.
The important thing is noticing them before you buy rather than discovering them on your first Saturday morning in the house.
This is also one reason I encourage buyers to pay attention to a neighborhood and not just the property they're touring.
8. Look Outside the Property Lines
You aren't only buying the space inside the house.
Look at neighboring properties. Notice the road. Think about where guests will park. Consider the driveway. Look at nearby development, traffic patterns and the general surroundings.
Then think beyond what you can see from the front porch.
How far is the home from work, school, groceries, medical care or the places you visit regularly? A house can be wonderful and still be wrong for your everyday life.
9. Separate What Can Be Changed From What Can't
Paint can be changed. Light fixtures can be replaced. Flooring can be updated. Landscaping can evolve.
The lot, location and basic footprint of the house are much harder—or impossible—to change.
Buyers sometimes reject a house because of cosmetic choices they don't like while overlooking properties that actually meet their most important needs. The opposite happens, too: beautiful finishes can distract from something fundamental that doesn't work.
One of the most useful questions you can ask during a showing is:
Can I change what I don't like?
If the answer is yes, the next question is simply whether the cost and effort make sense for you.
10. Remember How You Felt Before You Walked In
Before touring homes, know your priorities.
What are your must-haves? What would be nice to have? What are your deal breakers?
It's much easier to evaluate a property when you've already decided what matters.
Otherwise, the beautiful kitchen, oversized shower or perfectly staged living room can suddenly make something you considered a deal breaker yesterday seem surprisingly negotiable.
Sometimes that's okay. Priorities can change as buyers see homes in person. But those changes should be thoughtful rather than emotional.
Fall in Love—Just Keep Your Eyes Open
Buying a home should be exciting. I don't want my buyers walking through every house expecting to find something wrong with it.
I want them to be excited when they find one they love.
I also want them to understand what they're considering buying.
That's part of having someone on your side during the process. While you're imagining dinner around the table, children playing in the backyard or coffee on the porch, I'm also thinking about the questions we need to ask.
And once you decide a home may truly be the one, that's when a qualified home inspector gets a much closer look.
To make showings a little easier, I've created a free Home Showing Checklist you can save to your phone or print and bring with you. It gives you a simple way to keep track of the things worth noticing while you're touring homes—before the excitement makes everything start running together.
[Download the Free Home Showing Checklist]
And if buying a home is somewhere on your horizon—even if you aren't quite ready to start touring yet—I'm always happy to help you understand what the process could look like and where to begin.
In faith and service,
Gillian Gooch, Broker/Realtor®