The first-viewing checklist we give every buyer

Falling for a house takes about four minutes. Checking whether it deserves that feeling takes a little longer. This is the list our advisors hand every buyer before a first viewing, refined over more than a thousand handovers in Santa Barbara and Carpinteria.

Before you step inside

• Visit twice: once at 9 a.m. and once around 4 p.m., when the light and traffic are honest.

• Walk the street to the corner and back. Listen for leaf blowers, freeway hum and the neighbour’s dog.

• Look at the roofline from across the road. Sagging ridges are easier to spot from a distance.

Inside the house

• Run the upstairs shower and a kitchen tap at the same time to test water pressure.

• Open every window you might want to sleep with open.

• Check where the morning sun lands. In coastal homes, that is often where you will want breakfast.

• Ask for the age of the roof, water heater and HVAC, and write the answers down.

After the viewing

Score the home out of ten before you talk to anyone, including us. Then compare that number with how you feel the next morning. If both are above seven, it is worth a second visit with your advisor and a contractor you trust.