What Are the Most Important Questions to Ask Your Real Estate Agent During a Home Tour?

The first thing I would ask is, "How long has the house actually been on the market?" Websites like Zillow usually show you a small chart at the bottom showing how long the house has been on the market, but that's not accurate. There's a lot of information that an agent knows that you won't find online. For example, the house might have been off the market for 30 days before coming back on the market. This type of information is helpful to use against the seller to negotiate a better price.

In my territory, we're always asking which flood zone the property is in. This way, we know whether it requires mandatory flood insurance, which is an extra cost that can nudge some buyers away from purchasing the home. So buyers definitely want to know that before even entering a home for a tour.

More important questions include the ages of the roof, water heater, and AC, no matter where you live. These are some big-ticket costs that you do not want to have to replace during your first year of home ownership. I would also ask to see the property disclosure before I go into a home. I want to know, "Has there ever been water issues?" "Have there been floods?" Those are the type of things that have to be disclosed on a home before listing. If either has happened, you would also have to consider mold damage.

One of the last things I'll mention is permits. Not all areas require the same type of permits. These are the kinds of things I think buyers sometimes don't consider. You have to ask, "Were permits pulled, and were the right licensed people doing the work?" Because that's what's typically found during the inspection period, that work is not done correctly.

You don't want to fall in love with a home, get to inspection, and find out you've invested in a home inspection or maybe some other cost, and then can't move forward because questions weren't asked beforehand. Always ask upfront about the age of your big-ticket items, the permits that were pulled for them, and any history of water intrusion. This will help you avoid falling in love with a home only to be disappointed later, or worse, to lose money.