Second House Showing Checklist: How to Confirm (or Kill) Your Decision in Quebec

The first showing answers an easy question: do I like this house? The second asks a harder one: am I ready to buy it? Our first viewing checklist covered the exterior envelope, moisture clues and the age of major systems. This article does not repeat it. It focuses on what a second showing lets you verify that you almost never catch the first time.

Go back to verify, not to fall in love again

The trap of a second showing is returning to relive the excitement of the first. Instead, arrive with a written list of what makes you hesitate, and of what would make you walk away. Every item should leave the visit in one of three columns: reassured, worried, or needs documents.

Bring someone who has not seen the house if you can. Fresh eyes catch what enthusiasm hides. Take photos and measure the rooms where specific furniture has to fit: a bed, a desk, a sectional sofa.

Pick a different time: noise, light and street life

If your first visit was on a Saturday at noon, ask for the second on a weekday, late in the afternoon. You will see the house at the hours you will actually live in it.

• Noise: rush-hour traffic, buses, rail lines, shops, a schoolyard. Spend five minutes in the main bedroom with the windows closed, then five minutes outside.
• Light: in November the sun is low and the days are short. Note which rooms still get daylight and which go dark by mid-afternoon.
• Street life: who goes by, how fast, and how neighbours use their lots. A quiet street on Saturday can be a shortcut on Tuesday.

If the seller cannot host you at the time you want, drive or walk past the house at that hour anyway. Traffic, noise, street lighting and how full the street parking is can all be judged from the sidewalk. Do it once on a weekday evening after dark, too: you will see whether the street is well lit, whether the walk from the bus stop feels comfortable, and what the block looks like once everyone is home.

The hands-on tests nobody does the first time

First showings are often crowded and supervised, and buyers hesitate to touch anything. On the second, ask permission and run a few simple tests:

• Water pressure: turn on the kitchen tap, then the upstairs bathroom tap at the same time, and flush. A sharp drop in flow is worth a note for the inspector.
• Hot water: run a tap and see how long hot water takes to arrive.
• Smells: go to the basement first, before the house airs out. Damp, oil or sewer odours are easier to notice on arrival than an hour later.
• Doors and windows: open a few. A sticking window or a rubbing door may just need adjusting, or it may be a clue worth flagging.
• Cell reception: check it in the room you plan to work from.

None of this replaces a pre-purchase inspection. The goal is to show up at the inspection with precise questions rather than a vague feeling.

Picture the house in January

A fall showing is your last chance to imagine the property under snow before it is yours. Look at:

• Parking: how many cars fit in the driveway, and where the snow will go once it is cleared. If you plan to park on the street, check with the municipality about overnight winter parking rules.
• Driveway slope: a driveway that dips down toward a garage can get tricky in icy weather.
• Access: outdoor steps, balcony, the path to the front door. Who will clear them, and how?
• Gutters and runoff: see where roof water drains. Near an entrance or a staircase, it can freeze.

Walk the neighbourhood

Park a few blocks away and walk the last five minutes. Find the bus stop, the grocery store, the park and the school, and actually time the walk. Notice how neighbouring homes are kept, any vacant lots, any construction underway.

If a neighbour is outside, a polite question about the area often tells you more than the listing. Keep a critical ear, though: one person's account is still one point of view.

Finally, test your real commutes. If you work outside the home, drive or ride from the house to work at rush hour at least once before drafting a promise to purchase. If you have children, trace the route to school and note where they would have to cross a busy street.

Questions to prepare for the listing broker

In Quebec, the seller's broker represents the seller, not you. According to the OACIQ, they must still treat the buyer fairly and provide objective information on all facts relevant to the transaction, and they do not disclose confidential or strategic information. So ask factual questions, not strategic ones:

• What renovations were done, in what year, and by whom?
• Are there invoices and permits for that work?
• What are the planned inclusions and exclusions (appliances, light fixtures, window coverings, wall-mounted heat pump)?
• Has the seller had the house inspected before, or done work following an inspection?
• For a divided co-ownership: what are the current condo fees, and are any major works planned?

If you have your own broker, let them ask these questions and interpret the answers with you. That is exactly what they are there for.

Documents to request before you draft a promise to purchase

A well-drafted promise to purchase rests on what you know when you sign it. Before drafting, ask through your broker for:

• Invoices and permits for renovations mentioned: roof, windows, basement, bathroom.
• Service invoices for major systems: heating, water heater, French drain if work was done.
• The certificate of location, if available, to check lot boundaries and where the buildings sit.
• For a divided co-ownership: since August 14, 2025, the seller must give the promising buyer a syndicate certificate on the condition of the co-ownership (art. 1068.1 C.C.Q.). Ask when it will be available.

Walking out of the second showing, reread your three columns. If the worried column holds a major item with no answer, it is not time to write an offer yet. It is time to go get the missing information.