A house hunting checklist for the search, the viewing and the area
Viewings go fast and it's easy to fall for the kitchen and miss the damp. This prompt has your todo.is agent turn your must-haves into a search, send new matching listings each morning, research each area with links and give you a printable viewing checklist and questions, so you compare homes on the same points.
The prompt
- Help me find a home with a house hunting checklist. Buying or renting: [BUY OR RENT]. Budget: [BUDGET]. Areas: [AREAS]. Must-haves: [MUST-HAVES]. Nice to have: [NICE TO HAVE]. Make me a printable viewing checklist (structure, damp, windows, heating, electrics, water pressure, noise, light, storage, costs) and questions for the agent or landlord. For each area, research commute to [WORK OR SCHOOL], schools, shops, parks, noise, flood risk and crime with links to sources. Every morning at 8:00 send me new listings that match on WhatsApp with links, and keep an Excel sheet comparing every home I view. Don't contact agents for me.
What to change
- [BUY OR RENT]: "Buying, first home" or "renting, 12-month lease".
- [BUDGET]: Max price or monthly rent, with currency. Add your deposit if buying.
- [AREAS]: 2 to 4 areas or a radius, e.g. "Leith, Portobello, within 5 miles of central Edinburgh".
- [MUST-HAVES]: E.g. "2 bedrooms, outside space, near a station, allows a dog".
- [NICE TO HAVE]: E.g. "parking, a second toilet, south-facing garden".
- [WORK OR SCHOOL]: Address or place to measure the commute to.
Example result
- House hunting checklist
- Buying a first home · up to 280,000 · Leith, Portobello, Musselburgh · 2 bedrooms, outside space, near a station, dog-friendly
- Before the viewing
- • Check how long it's been listed and any price drops
- • Look at the street on a map: main road, railway, pub, school run traffic
- • Check the flood risk map and the energy rating
- • Ask for the home report or survey details if available
- Outside
- • Roof: missing or slipped tiles, sagging line
- • Walls: cracks wider than a coin, especially around windows and doors
- • Gutters and downpipes: rust, leaks, plants growing
- • Windows: age, rot in wooden frames, condensation between panes
- • Garden: which way it faces, boundaries, drainage after rain
- Inside
- • Damp: smell, black mould, bubbling paint, stains on ceilings, behind furniture
- • Heating: boiler age and service history, radiators warm in every room
- • Electrics: fuse box type, number of sockets, any scorch marks
- • Water: turn on taps and shower, check pressure and how fast hot water comes
- • Light and noise: visit at a different time of day if you're serious
- • Storage: where do the bike, buggy and vacuum go?
- • Phone signal and broadband speed in each room
- Questions to ask
- • Why are the owners moving and how fast?
- • What's included: curtains, white goods, garden shed?
- • Any building work done, with permissions and certificates?
- • What are the yearly bills and council tax band?
- • Any problems with neighbours, parking or service charges?
- Area check (Leith, example)
- • Commute: tram to the centre, about 20 minutes
- • Parks, shops and cafés: Leith Links, The Shore
- • Noise: busy on some streets at night, quieter near the Links
- • Sources and links for schools, flood risk and crime data are in the sheet
- Comparison sheet columns
- Address · price · bedrooms · outside space · commute · energy rating · condition notes · damp · costs · gut feeling 1 to 10 · link
- Daily listing message example
- "3 new matches this morning: 2-bed flat in Portobello with garden, 265,000; ... Links below."
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in buy or rent, budget, areas, must-haves, nice-to-haves and your commute address.
- Paste it into todo.is or send it to your agent on WhatsApp.
- You get a printable viewing checklist, area research with sources and an Excel sheet to compare homes.
- After each viewing, send your notes or photos and your agent adds them to the sheet. Book viewings yourself.
Tips for a better result
- Take the checklist and fill it in at every viewing. After three homes, your memory blurs them together.
- View your favourite at a different time, like a weekday evening, to check noise, light and parking.
- Send your agent photos of cracks or marks on walls and it suggests what to ask a surveyor about.
- For a purchase, always get a proper survey. A checklist helps you shortlist, not replace a professional.
house hunting checklist: FAQ
- What should I look for when viewing a house? Damp, roof and wall condition, the age of the boiler and windows, water pressure, electrics, light, noise and storage. Check the area at different times too.
- How many houses should I view before buying? There's no right number, but many buyers view 5 to 10. Comparing on the same checklist makes a decision easier.
- What questions should I ask when house hunting? Why the owners are selling, what's included, the bills and taxes, any building work and certificates, and any known problems.
- Can my agent book viewings or make an offer? No. It finds listings, researches areas and keeps your notes. You contact agents, book viewings and make offers yourself.
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