How to walk an open house so it actually tells you something.

Before you go

Know who the agent in the room works for

The person hosting an open house was hired by the seller, or is there at the listing broker's direction. That is their job and there is nothing wrong with it. It does mean the answers you get are shaped by that. Ask anything you want, and understand whose side the answer comes from.

You do not have to fill in the sign-in sheet

There is no law requiring you to hand over your name, phone number and email to walk through a house that is open to the public. If you would rather not get the follow up, you can decline, and a professional will not make it awkward. If you are already working with an agent, say so, because that is useful information for everyone in the room.

Photograph things, not rooms

Rooms all look the same in your camera roll by Sunday night. The water heater label, the electrical panel, the crawlspace vent, the crack over the door, the view from the actual window you would sit at. Those are the photos that are worth something on Monday.

The first two minutes, before you look at anything pretty

Stand at the curb and look at the roofline

Sagging ridge, patched valleys, moss on the north face, a roof that is three different colors. You are not diagnosing it. You are deciding what to ask.

Look at where the water goes

Downspouts that end at the foundation, a driveway that slopes toward the garage, a hillside above the house with no drainage, soil built up above the siding. Water is what quietly destroys houses in Northern California.

Look at the other houses on the block for what they say about age

New roofs and new windows on both sides usually means the block is at the age where those things need doing. Yours will be too.

Inside

Start in the least attractive room

The garage, the laundry, the basement, the utility closet. Nobody stages those, so they tell you the truth. Find the water heater and read the manufacture date off the label. Find the electrical panel and look at the brand and whether the wiring inside looks like a bird nest. Look at the furnace. If it says 1987, you know something the living room was not going to tell you.

Walk the floor, literally

Walk the perimeter of every room close to the wall. Feel for slope, listen for the give. Open and close every interior door and see if it swings on its own or sticks at the top corner. Doors are a cheap foundation report.

Run water

Turn on the kitchen faucet and an upstairs shower at the same time. Watch the pressure. Flush a toilet while they are running.

Open the windows

Actually open them. Painted shut, broken sash, single pane on a road-facing wall. That is real money and real noise.

Look up in the closets

Ceiling stains hide in closets, because nobody stages a closet ceiling.

Use your nose

Fresh paint in one room only, a plug-in air freshener in a house that is otherwise empty, damp in the lowest room. Your nose is a real instrument.

Six questions worth asking the host

Ask them plainly. A good listing agent will answer them straight.

• How long has it been on, and has the price moved?
• Are the disclosures available now, and can I have the package?
• Has there been an inspection, and is the report available?
• Is there anything about the property that is not on the standard forms yet?
• What is the seller's timeline, and are they looking for a specific close date?
• Is there a preferred offer date, and are offers being reviewed as they come in?

Write down the answers. On a busy Sunday you will not remember which house had which answer.

What I do that you should not have to

When you send me an address, I request the disclosure package before you get emotionally attached to the house, not after. I read the whole thing, including the parts nobody reads: the preliminary title report, the natural hazard disclosure, the pest report, and every page of the seller's questionnaire. I look at what the roof, the sewer lateral and the fire clearance are likely to cost you, and I give you my honest opinion of value, not the one you want to hear.

If I think a house is a bad buy at the asking price, I will say so. That is the whole point of having someone on your side of the table.

What happens before we tour, in plain language

This page is general information about how I work. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice, and it is not a representation about any specific property. Statements about California law reflect Civil Code section 1670.50 as in effect on the date below. Last reviewed August 3, 2026.