Viewing Checklist

From the station to the building

• Actual walking time, traffic lights, slopes, and covered sections
• Lighting and foot traffic at night
• Distance to supermarkets, convenience stores, and drugstores

Entrance and common areas

• Condition and atmosphere of the entrance, porte-cochère, and cleaning
• Number of security checkpoints, security cameras, and concierge hours
• Number of elevators, floor zoning, and wait times (ask about mornings)
• Trash room location (including whether each floor has one) and disposal hours
• Number of parcel lockers and unattended-delivery rules
• Parking and bicycle-space availability, type (including mechanical), and monthly cost
• Types of shared facilities, ease of booking, and usage fees

Inside the unit

• Sunlight and brightness at different times of day
• View and planned buildings in front (ask the broker about development plans)
• Noise with the windows closed (roads, railway lines, and wind)
• Protruding columns and beams, and usable wall length for furniture
• Storage capacity and depth
• Condition of plumbing areas and age of the water heater and garbage disposer
• Mobile signal and internet connection type
• Rooms where air conditioners can be installed and outdoor-unit locations

Management and costs

• Monthly management and repair-reserve fees and planned increases
• Long-term repair-plan period, major-repair schedule, and reserve balance
• Management rules (restrictions on pets, instruments, short-term rentals, and renovations)
• Land tenure (ownership or leasehold) and remaining term
• Prevalence of rental units and vacancies

Disaster preparedness

• Flood depth on hazard maps and locations of electrical rooms and emergency generators
• Seismic system: base isolation, vibration control, or earthquake resistance
• Emergency supplies on each floor, emergency elevators, and equipment available during outages

Overall impressions