Checkpoints for Real Estate Tour

Be sure to check the surrounding area! Checkpoints for real estate tours

When renting a property, one thing you can't avoid is a preview of the property. Before you sign the lease, you will need to visit the actual property to check it out. However, since you will be viewing the property for the first time in a short period of time, you want to make sure you get the most out of it. In order to get a clear picture of your new life ahead, it is important to know what to check out about the property and the surrounding environment.

What is a preview to begin with?

A preview of the room (preview) means "to see the inside of the room". When you see a room you are interested in on a rental information website or at a real estate agency, you do not immediately sign a lease contract. It means the entire process of actually visiting the room and checking it out in detail. Although there are some properties which cannot be viewed, there are many cases where the real estate agency will provide you with an opportunity to view the room in some way or another, and it is unlikely that you will be able to view the room and sign the lease without being able to do so. In other words, you could say that a preview is an essential event for a rental contract.
● If the tenant is still occupying the property and cannot be viewed.
- You can preview similar rooms (vacancies in the same building).
● If the building is not yet complete (e.g., a new building)
- Agent can show you the showroom and head to the site to show you the property under construction.

So what are the key points to look for when previewing a property? Let's take a look at each of these points to get a more efficient preview of the property.

[Case of Building] What to check when you preview the property

Check the property from various angles, including living, delivery, and facility functioning. Check every aspect of the property to avoid regrets later. It depends on how many properties you see that day, but you'll probably have a few dozen minutes to view them. Let's take a look at the checkpoints you want to keep in mind when you have a limited amount of time for a preview.

Is there enough sunshine?
You can get an idea of the approximate direction of a room in terms of sunlight from a drawing, but it's hard to tell how much sunlight is coming in or how bright it is. Sunlight is an important factor that affects not only the brightness of the room but also the place to hang your laundry. Check the position of the building and the adjacent buildings to confirm the sunshine. There may be times when you expect sunshine because the drawing faces south, but the building is right in front of you and the sun doesn't get in. Note that in some cases, properties with a young age are so airtight that it's actually not a problem even if the living room doesn't get any sun. With an airtight property, you won't find it too cold to live in a north-facing room in the winter. In some cases, it is actually more important to be airtight to keep the heat from escaping, so ask about airtightness if the sun exposure is not good.

Is the floor plan and space large enough for furniture?
When you preview a room, it feels larger than it really is because it doesn't have a set of household items. For example, if you measure the size of the bed in advance and simulate the room, you can reduce the discrepancy between the space you feel when you preview the room and the actual living space. To determine if the size of the room is appropriate, imagine what it would look like with large furniture such as a sofa, TV stand, bookshelf, desk, and bed in place.

You don't mind the smell?
Although we tend to rely only on sight (such as the floor plan) and hearing (such as noise) in preview, don't forget to use your full sense of smell. In addition to the smell of sewage and septic tanks and other water sources, the smell of tobacco from previous residents can sometimes be bothersome. In many cases, the real estate company will get away with it by saying that the odor has not been eliminated because it was not yet cleaned, or that the odor can be removed in time, but there are some odors that cannot be removed by room cleaning. Be sure to confirm this beforehand. Other places you should be wary of are restaurants. For example, if there is a restaurant that smells of spices in the neighborhood, the smell may be present all year round. If there are restaurants in the property, take a look at the property during their opening hours.

Check for rattles around windows and doors.
Make sure that the windows, doors and other fittings are properly moved and checked. If they are not moving properly, make sure that you can have them repaired before you move in. Buildings near the railroad tracks may have double sashes. This will reduce the noise level in many cases. On the other hand, if your apartment is not equipped with double sashes, you may have a sound problem. It is a good idea to ask if you can have them replaced.

This is going to be a bit long, so we'll continue tomorrow. In our case, we do building management for rental properties, but we do get tours of the actual properties through different agents. If you are interested in any of the rental properties listed on our website, please contact us for more information.