Guides for buyers

The open house checklist: what to check in every room

Houses blur fast. After three showings in one afternoon, every kitchen looks like the last one. A short checklist, used the same way every time, is what keeps your notes honest weeks later when you are deciding.

October 30, 2026

Before you walk in

Park a block away and walk the street. Note traffic, parking, sidewalks, and how the block feels, not just the house.
Check your phone signal and the walk to the nearest grocery, school, or transit stop you will actually use.
Decide your deal breakers before you fall for the staging. Write them down, then check against them, not around them.

Every room, every time

Light: which way do the windows face, and what does the room look like away from the brightest corner?
Noise: close the door, stand still for 30 seconds, and listen for road, neighbours, pipes, and appliances.
Water: run a tap, flush a toilet, and look under sinks for stains, warping, or a musty smell.
Storage: open every closet and cabinet. Staging hides clutter; square footage you cannot use is not square footage.
Layout: walk the route you would walk every morning, from bedroom to kitchen to door, not just the tour route.

Kitchen and bathrooms

These are the rooms that cost the most to fix, so spend most of your time here. In the kitchen, check appliance age, counter depth, outlet placement, and whether two people can actually work in it at once. In bathrooms, check ventilation, grout, water pressure, and whether the layout works when guests visit.

Outside the front door

Look at the roof line, gutters, grading away from the house, and the condition of fences and driveways. Ask about the age of the roof, water heater, and HVAC if the listing does not say. A pretty interior over a tired exterior is a budget decision, not a surprise.

Make it stick: rate each home on the same categories right after you leave, while the details are fresh. That is exactly what Open House Notes is built for: one rating system, photos and voice notes per home, and a side-by-side comparison when the weekend is over.

After the tour

Write one sentence on what you loved and one on what worried you, before you see the next house.
Take a photo of the street, the front, and one flaw. Flaws are the photos you will want later.
Score it now. A score written at the curb is worth more than a perfect memory on Tuesday.