1. Confirm the property before the visit
- exact address / survey / unit reference available to the buyer
- seller / broker contact and access arrangements
- property type and intended use
- known document or site questions that must be checked visually
Property Buyer's Handbook · Site visit
Property site visit checklist: inspect the route, site and unknowns - not just the interiors.
A useful site visit should create decision-quality evidence. Start before the gate, record what is actually observed, label seller statements separately, and finish with the specialist questions and buyer decisions the visit has opened.
Direct answer
Use eight passes: property identity, approach, entry / visible boundary, levels / drainage, buildings, utilities, contradictions / unknowns and the buyer’s next decision.
Do not turn a viewing into a checklist of finishes. The visit should test whether the property on the ground matches the buyer’s brief and documentary story closely enough to justify the next diligence step.
Eight-pass checklist
Walk the property in a fixed sequence.
2. Record the full approach
- main route and alternative route where relevant
- last street / private-looking segments
- road width, surface, turning, gradient and parking
- surrounding uses, noise and access constraints
3. Record entry and boundaries as observed
- gate / entry geometry
- fences, walls, survey stones or occupation lines as visible
- shared access or neighbour crossings
- areas that could not be entered or seen
4. Record site levels and water movement
- road-to-site level
- slope / cut / fill where visible
- drains, culverts and runoff paths
- ponding, damp soil, erosion or retaining features
5. Record buildings / improvements
- roof and rainwater system
- visible cracking, damp, movement or unfinished work
- alterations / extensions as represented or observed
- parking, services, common areas and access for maintenance
6. Record utilities and practical use
- electricity / water / sewage or septic arrangements as represented / documented
- mobile / internet only where relevant to the buyer
- waste / service access
- vacancy / caretaker / maintenance practicality for remote buyers
7. Capture contradictions and unknowns
- what the seller said versus what was observed
- what a plan / sketch shows versus the site
- what was inaccessible
- what now requires a lawyer, surveyor, engineer, planner or other specialist
8. End with a buyer decision note
- what improved confidence
- what became less attractive
- what must be resolved before an offer / advance
- whether the property should proceed, stay open or be rejected
Five evidence states
Label the finding before it enters the decision.
Observed
Seen / recorded at the property on the visit date.
Represented
Stated by the seller, broker, occupier or another party.
Documented
Appears in a record / plan / approval / bill available to the buyer.
Professional conclusion
Answered by the appropriately qualified specialist within scope.
Unknown
Not seen, not provided, contradictory or otherwise unresolved.
Adjust by property type
The same generic checklist is not enough for every asset.
Plot / land
Move survey identity, access, boundary, site levels, drainage and construction access to the front.
House / bungalow
Add roof, moisture, retaining, alterations, services and repair / maintenance access.
Apartment
Add unit identity, common areas, parking, lifts / services, association / maintenance context and surrounding project condition.
Agricultural / plantation
Add internal access, water / drainage, structures, operating assets, boundary / extent and land-use questions.
Commercial
Add lawful / practical use, frontage, parking / loading, tenant occupation, service capacity and fit-out condition.
Nilgiris hill property
Expand the route, gradient, drainage, retaining, roofwater and wet-weather evidence pass.
Remote buyer standard
Photographs and video should be traceable to the property and question.
For remote buyers, organise images / video by route, entry, site, building and open question rather than sending an unstructured media dump. Record the visit date, areas not inspected and any representation that needs documentary or professional confirmation.
Leave the site with a decision file
A property visit should reduce uncertainty or identify exactly where the remaining uncertainty sits.
Record the route, site, condition, representations and unknowns in a structure that the buyer and specialists can actually use.
See Property Site Visits & Reports