The most important rooms in any house, as most people come to agree, are the kitchen and the bathrooms. Studies have shown that for most people, a well-designed kitchen with plenty of cabinets and counter space and a bathroom with luxurious appointments can compensate for a great many shortcomings in other departments. Even if you now tend to think of a kitchen as an unnecessary waste of space that might better go toward a studio, look carefully at what it offers. Is it large enough to put in a table with a few chairs? Is there good work space that’s conveniently located relative to the stove, the refrigerator, the pantry?
What about the appliances, built in or otherwise? How old are they? Do they work? Are any of them still under warranty? Is the owner planning to take any of them out? Is the lighting what you need?
Check the bathrooms with equal care. Are the fixtures in good condition? Are there showers and bathtubs, or only showers? Does it matter to you?
The source of heat in the bathroom is not a trivial matter. Some people may like the idea of stepping out of a hot shower into a cold bathroom in the dead of winter, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to find out how well heated the bathroom is.
Never fail to check the water pressure at every tap. If this is a house you’re beginning to think seriously about, turn on all the taps, upstairs and downstairs, and let them all run at once. Make sure the pressure remains strong at each of them. Check under the sinks in the bath and kitchen for leaks and for water stains, evidence of past leakage.