Questions to ask at showing

[Sean McFadden]

Hey all,

I am going to my first showing tomorrow to take a look at a duplex that I may be interested in purchasing. I will be there with my realtor as well as the realtor for the seller. I have an idea of some of the questions I want to ask right off the bat, but I was wondering what you guys usually ask.

I plan to ask about the current tenants, the seller's reason for selling, condition of Capex fixtures, what the neighbors are like, etc. and whatever comes up organically during the showing.

Anything else that would be valuable to ask?

[Mike Cumbie]

Hi @Sean McFadden. You are going to have the sellers agent there as well as yours. Let your agent ask the questions. Especially since you are new. Then discuss with your agent away from the sellers agent. While there take a notepad and write everything you see down. Look at windows, furnace, soffits, gutters, siding quality, driveway, door latches and sticky doors. But don't talk to their agent or even let them hear your voice. Write down ripped carpets, cracks in walls. Look at the roof, see if there is a train track running through the back yard. 

The purpose is not really to have all this information, but to keep you concentrated on the property and not talking to their agent. If you are climbing around the basement furnace looking for a date of install it says "He's done this before". If you are in the upstairs bedroom and mention the furnace while there is some 1910 cracked window in front of you..... it says "New guy". If their agent smells one ounce of "new guy" on you your sides job is harder. So my suggestion is use your eyes much more than your mouth. Let the house tell you what it is, don't rely on their agent to give you all pertinent information. 

Good luck!