What to Check Before Buying a House: A 2026 Buyer’s Checklist

Updated October 2026. A buyer’s checklist in the order you’ll need it: before you tour, before you offer, and before you close.

Before buying a house, check four things: the neighborhood (safety, commute, schools), the house itself (inspection, radon, lead, roof and systems), the paperwork (title, permits, HOA or condo rules, flood zone) and your money (loan terms and closing costs). As of October 2026, the EPA’s radon action level is 4 pCi/L, and lenders must send your Closing Disclosure three business days before closing.

Jump to: 📍 Neighborhood · 🏠 The house · 🪜 Paperwork · 💲 Money · ❓ FAQ

A great kitchen can hide a bad roof. A quiet street on Sunday can be a cut-through on Monday. This list helps you look past the staging, whether you’re buying a family house or a flat in a condo building.

What should you check about the neighborhood?

Your must-haves

Write two lists before you tour: must-haves and nice-to-haves. Four bedrooms for a big family, or a single level for someone who can’t manage stairs, is a must-have. A pool usually isn’t. Keeping the lists apart stops you from ruling out good homes or falling for the wrong one.

Safety and noise

Look up crime data for the area from the local police department. Then visit at different times: a weekday morning, a Friday night, a rainy day. Our guide on visiting a home at different times lists what to look and listen for.

Commute, schools and daily life

• Drive or ride the commute at rush hour, not on a Sunday. Check the nearest bus or train stop if you use transit.
• Confirm the school assignment with the district. Don’t rely on the listing. Check how far the schools are, too.
• Note what’s nearby: shops, parks, a hospital, and anything you’d rather not live next to, like a highway or a stadium.

What should you check in the house itself?

Get a full inspection

Make your offer contingent on an inspection by a licensed inspector. They check the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, windows and attic. They may also flag work done without permits, like a basement unit. Go along and ask questions. Our guides to roof inspections, checking the appliances that come with the house and what inspectors rarely say about detached structures help you know what to ask.

Add the tests that fit the house

Radon causes lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers alike, says the EPA, and you can’t see or smell it. A short test during the inspection period is cheap peace of mind. For pre-1978 homes, the seller must give you the EPA lead disclosure and pamphlet before you sign. Read why a pest inspection before buying is worth it.

Look at it yourself, too

Open every faucet and cabinet. Look for water stains on ceilings, soft spots on floors, fresh paint on one patch of wall, and cracks over doors. Run the heat and the air. Check the water heater’s age on its label. Curb appeal matters to appraisers and to you, but a tired yard is cheap to fix. A wet basement isn’t.

What paperwork should you check?

• Seller disclosures. Read your state’s disclosure form closely and ask about every item the seller marked as unknown.
• Permits. Ask the city or county for the permit history, especially for additions, decks and finished basements.
• Flood zone. Look up the address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. A high-risk zone can mean required flood insurance with a mortgage, and claims happen outside those zones too, per FloodSmart.
• Title. A title search shows liens, easements and who really owns the home. Title insurance protects you if something was missed.
• HOA or condo rules. Get the budget, dues, rules on pets and rentals, and any planned special assessments.

Buying a condo or a flat?

Many condo and co-op boards must approve you before you can buy. Some limit pets, require a minimum income, or cap rentals. Ask for the approval process and the rules before you fall for a unit. If you’re renting instead, check the lease terms and meet the landlord; our tips on renting with low or no credit and keeping an apartment ready for rent cover that side.

Closing in Florida or Texas? Beycome Title handles title and closing there, and also in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Buyers can choose their own title company in many deals; see who picks the title company.

What should you check about the money?

Get preapproved before you tour, so you know your price range and sellers take your offer seriously. Then budget for more than the down payment: closing costs, moving, and the first repairs. Our guide on how much closing costs are breaks them down.

Before closing, your lender must send the Closing Disclosure three business days ahead, according to the CFPB. Check the rate, the cash to close and every fee against your Loan Estimate. Ask about anything that changed.

You can also lower the cost of buying. The Beycome buyer program has no upfront fee and is open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents. Beycome keeps 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credits the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. On a $400,000 home with 3% offered, you’d get $8,000 back.

The 3% is an example only: commissions are not set by law or NAR rules and are fully negotiable, sellers choose whether to offer any buyer-agent compensation, and since August 17, 2024, such offers can’t be shown on the MLS. The credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers.

What should you think about for the long term?

Ask how long you’ll stay. A starter home that fits now may feel small in three years if your family grows. Look at outdoor space, room to add on, and how easy the home would be to sell later. First-time buyers made up 31% of US sales in September 2026 (NAR), so a home that suits them is often easier to resell. If you’ll sell your current home first, a $99 Beycome flat fee MLS listing puts it on the MLS with $0 at closing.

New to all this? Start with our guide to six things to go over before buying a home for the first time. After you move in, see our tips for planning a kitchen makeover and our guide to household supplies for safety.

Frequently asked questions