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Hole 11 · Back Nine — Execute

Touring & Evaluating

A showing is your chance to catch problems before they become negotiating leverage or expensive surprises. This hole gives you a walk-through checklist covering structure, systems, and neighborhood context, so you leave every tour with real notes instead of just a feeling.

8 min read · Free, no signup

Written by Isaac Ortiz · Real Estate Broker · Compass | NWMLS #146754

A showing gives you a first read, not a verdict

A 20-30 minute showing lets you check layout, natural light, obvious condition, and gut feel — but it can't replace a licensed inspection. Treat a strong showing as a green light to move forward, not as proof the home is problem-free. What you catch on tour shapes your offer and inspection strategy; what you miss becomes a closing-week surprise.

  • A showing is a first read: layout, light, condition, and gut feel.
  • It is not a substitute for a licensed home inspection.
  • Good notes from a showing sharpen your offer and inspection strategy later.

What to actually look at: structure and systems

Walk the exterior for roofline sag, foundation cracks, and grading that slopes water toward the house. Inside, check for water stains, musty smells, and uneven floors — common signs of moisture or foundation movement in older Pacific Northwest homes. Ask the age of the roof, furnace, and water heater — the big-ticket items a full inspection will price out.

  • Exterior: roofline sag, foundation cracks, grading that drains toward the house.
  • Interior: water stains, musty smells, uneven floors — common PNW moisture signs.
  • Ask the age of the roof, furnace, and water heater before you leave.

What photos and a single tour never show you

Drive or walk the block at a different time of day than your showing — traffic, noise, and parking often look completely different at 8 AM versus 6 PM. Talk to a neighbor if one's outside. None of this shows up in listing photos, and it can matter as much to your day-to-day life as anything inside the house.

  • Revisit at a different time of day than your scheduled showing.
  • Check street parking, traffic noise, and neighboring properties.
  • A quick conversation with a neighbor can surface things no listing will.

Leave every tour with notes, not just a feeling

Photograph anything questionable, write down your honest reaction while it's fresh, and rate the home against your non-negotiables from the last hole — not against the last home you toured. A short checklist you fill out for every showing turns a blur of open houses into a real comparison you can act on.

  • Photograph anything you'd want to ask an inspector or your agent about.
  • Write notes immediately — impressions fade fast after the third showing of the day.
  • Compare each home against your non-negotiables, not against each other.

Mastery check

Prove it out before you move on.

Caddie

Before you play through — quick read of the green:

3 quick questions. Get all but one right and this hole is marked played. Unlimited retries — there's no penalty for missing one.

Question 1 of 3

What's the honest limit of a home showing?

Question 2 of 3

Which of these is a warning sign worth a closer look during a tour?

Question 3 of 3

Why walk or drive the block at a different time of day than your showing?

Still stuck? Ask the Caddie.

Hole 10: Search StrategyHole 12: Offers