Viewing checklist: what to look for room by room

Go to the viewing with a plan, not just a feeling. The expensive defects rarely sit in the surface but in moisture, smell and the foundation, and those are what you are looking for. Here is what to check before, during and after the viewing, room by room, so you can do the maths calmly afterwards instead of hoping.

Before the viewing

Spend a quarter of an hour before you go. Read the listing, the energy declaration and, if it is a co-op flat, the association annual report. Write down what you wonder about and bring a checklist, because on site it is easy to forget. Have your monthly budget ready so you know your ceiling before the feeling takes over.

It is worth booking your own time on top of the group viewing. The group viewing is crowded and rushed, and you rarely have time to look properly. At your own viewing you can open cupboards, feel the windows and ask in peace.

Room by room

Look past furniture and surfaces and search for signs of moisture and movement. Moisture is not unusual, about a third of Swedish buildings have some form of moisture damage, so be thorough rather than scared.

Place	What you look for
Kitchen	Damp marks under the sink, gaps or smell at the water connections, age of the appliances
Bathroom and wet rooms	Fall towards the floor drain, loose tiles or grout, a damp smell, age of the waterproofing
Bedrooms and living room	Discolouration along skirting boards and on ceilings, draughts and cold surfaces at windows
Basement and foundation	Mouldy smell, salt or damp streaks on walls, creeping moisture, a free-standing dehumidifier
Attic and roof	Stains on the underside of the roof, daylight through the roof, insulation that has slipped out of place
Windows	Condensation between the panes, stiff or warped frames, rot in the sashes
Outside	Cracks in the facade and render, ground sloping towards the house, the state of downpipes and drainage

Use all your senses

The eye is not enough. Smell in the basement, closets and bathroom; a stuffy or earth-cellar scent can be mould. Listen for traffic and neighbour noise, and whether floors creak and flex. Feel with your hand for draughts at windows and cold floors that can mean poor insulation. A dehumidifier humming away in the basement is an answer in itself.

Red flags

Single signs are rarely decisive, but several together are a reason to investigate before you bid:

• A mouldy or stuffy smell that will not let go
• Fresh paint or wallpaper on isolated patches that could hide something
• Discolouration on ceilings, along skirting and around windows
• Floors that clearly slope or flex when you walk
• Condensation between the window panes
• Signs of moisture in the basement or crawl space

After the viewing

Sum up your impressions straight away while they are fresh and check them against the list. Ask for the inspection report and, for a co-op flat, the annual report if you have not got them already. Work out the monthly cost with what you now know about condition and running costs.

If anything felt uncertain, do not gamble. Ask for a deeper check on that point, or for an inspection clause that lets you withdraw if the inspection reveals defects. A careful investigation of your own is also how you meet your duty to investigate, because defects you should have spotted cannot be claimed afterwards.

The questions for the agent

This is the list for what you look at. What you ask the agent about finances, condition and bidding we gather in a separate guide, so bring both to the viewing. Together they cover what you need to know before you decide.