6 Biggest Concerns First-Time Homebuyers Should Look for During a Home Tour

When you walk through a home for the first time, it is tempting to focus on paint colors, countertop materials, and whether there is carpet upstairs or downstairs. Those are cosmetic details. They matter to your lifestyle, but they are not what will make or break your ownership experience. The things that matter most during a home tour are the expensive systems and structural components that can cost you thousands of dollars if they are failing. Here are the six concerns Patrick Fagan tells every first-time buyer to prioritize.

Prefer to watch? Patrick breaks down the six biggest tour concerns in this video.

These Are Not Automatically Deal Breakers

Before going through the six areas, understand this: finding a problem does not mean you should walk away from the home. Patrick teaches that concerns discovered during your tour, in the seller disclosure, or through a professional inspection are pieces of information. They give you leverage. A roof issue, an aging HVAC system, or a foundation crack can often become a repair request, a credit, a concession, or a reason to renegotiate the price. Sometimes they lead to a specialist inspection that gives you more clarity. And occasionally, when the risk or cost is too high, they are a reason not to proceed. But the point is that these concerns give you options, not dead ends.

1. Look Closely at the Roof

The roof is potentially the biggest expense you will face if it is not in good condition. You are not a roofing expert, and neither is most buyers. So you lean on two things: the seller disclosure and the professional inspection report. The seller disclosure should tell you approximately how old the roof is, whether any repairs have been done, and whether it is in good working order. Your agent should be able to get this from the listing agent ahead of time. While you are walking through the interior, look up at the ceilings. Any stains, water marks, or suspicious new paint in corners that does not match the surrounding paint could indicate past roof leaks that penetrated the interior ceiling. The roof is a major expense. Do not skip this.

2. Look for Foundation Warning Signs

One of the first things Patrick does when leading buyers through home tours is walk the exterior perimeter before even going inside. You are looking for visible cracks in the foundation. Some cracking is normal, especially in the San Antonio and Bexar County area, where expansive and contracting soil conditions caused by extreme heat and cooler winter months put significant stress on foundations. If you see a major crack outside, go inside and check whether it manifests in the interior walls. Look for stress marks around door frames, cracks running up walls, or an uneven floor where you can feel a slope as you walk. Check the seller disclosure for any history of foundation repairs, and ask whether a transferable foundation warranty from a previous owner exists. The foundation is one of the most expensive items to repair, so take it seriously.

3. Find Out the Age and Condition of the HVAC System

Heating and air conditioning is another big-ticket system. Just like with the roof and foundation, lean on the seller disclosure and the inspection report. In many homes, especially those 15 to 20 years old, the HVAC equipment may be original, meaning it is approaching or past the end of its useful life. Here is something important: a home often has two HVAC components. The outdoor condenser unit and the indoor air handler or furnace. It is common for one to be replaced while the other remains original. For example, the compressor outside might have been replaced 10 years ago while the indoor unit is 20 years old. Patrick recommends taking photos of the data plates on each unit, which show the model date. This tells you exactly how old each component is, regardless of what anyone tells you. The inspection report will also tell you how well the system is functioning.

4. Pay Attention to the Electrical System

The electrical system is not about whether the lights turn on when you flip a switch. That is surface level. What you really want to know is how the system is configured and whether it is safe. Inspection reports frequently cite improper wiring configurations that could lead to outages or fire hazards. The main concern with electrical is safety. Patrick recommends looking at the electrical panel, and if possible, taking a photograph of it. Some electrical panel models from certain manufacturing periods have been linked to fire risks and may need to be replaced. If you see a known problematic panel model, you know immediately that this will be a negotiation point. Do not attempt to open or inspect energized electrical components yourself. Let the professional inspector handle that. But being aware of the panel type helps you understand what you may be dealing with.

5. Check the Water Heater

Find out where the water heater is located. Open the closet or look in the utility area. Take a picture of the data stamp showing the model age. Then just look at it. Is it corroded? Is there a drain pan underneath it? Is it raised off the floor appropriately? Does it look old? Quality water heaters can last 15 years or more, but budget models may have a shorter useful life. If you are looking at a 15-year-old home with the original water heater, you should be prepared for a replacement cost that could run into the thousands when you factor in the unit and labor. Checking the water heater during your tour helps you plan for that potential expense rather than being surprised by it later.

6. Do Not Ignore Plumbing and the Sewer Line

Most people think about plumbing in terms of whether the toilets flush and the sinks drain. A standard inspection covers that. But the real concern is what is happening underneath the house and in the sewer line running from the home to the municipal connection. Older homes may have aging pipe materials like cast iron that can deteriorate over time. Patrick strongly recommends spending the money for a sewer scope inspection, where a specialist runs a camera through the pipe to check for cracks, fissures, deterioration, or major obstructions. This is not something most buyers think about, but it can reveal expensive problems that are completely invisible during a normal walkthrough. Patrick shares a real example where a sewer scope revealed a problem that would have cost approximately $20,000 to fix. The seller refused to lower the price, and the buyers walked away. That small investment in a camera inspection saved them from a massive unexpected expense.

The Seller Disclosure and Inspection Report Work Together

Throughout all six of these concerns, notice the pattern Patrick uses. He relies on three sources of information working together: the seller disclosure, his own visual observations during the tour, and the professional home inspection report. When a concern is significant enough, he recommends bringing in a specialist for a more detailed evaluation. Your visual tour does not replace a professional inspection. It helps you ask better questions, spot potential issues early, and prepare for what the inspector will examine more thoroughly. When you get closer to closing day, I recommend using a final walkthrough checklist before closing, which I have in my Ask Patrick guide.

Use Problems to Make a Better Decision and Sometimes a Better Deal

This is the strategy behind everything Patrick teaches about home tours. Concerns found during your tour, in the disclosure, or through the inspection report become tools. They become repair requests. They become credits or concessions. They become leverage in price negotiation. They become reasons to get a specialist opinion. And when the numbers or the risk no longer make sense, they become a reason to walk away. This is what Patrick means when he says these are concerns, not deal breakers. Information is power when you know how to use it.

Home Tour Checklist

Use this checklist during every home tour to evaluate the six biggest concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Patrick Kevin Fagan

Loan Officer and Realtor · AXEN Realty LLC · San Antonio and Texas Hill Country

Licensed Sales Agent · 454749 · TX

210-317-6514 | pfagan@nexalending.com | About Patrick

Sincerely, Patrick Kevin Fagan