Touring homes in Baltimore: a checklist for rowhouses, old houses and condos
Listing photos are shot from the most flattering corner of the nicest room. A tour is where you find the soft spot in the rear wall or the water line in the basement. Here’s how home tours work in Baltimore and what I check on every one.
Updated November 2026
How tours work
- Buyer agreement first. Since August 2024, agents need a written agreement with you before touring homes together. It covers services and pay, and it’s negotiable.
- Private showings are booked through the listing side’s scheduling system. I group homes by neighborhood to make the day efficient.
- Open houses are open to anyone. If you have an agent, say so, and save price talk for your agent.
- Second visits are for the basement, the roof hatch if there is one, the block at night, and measuring.
The Baltimore rowhouse tour checklist
- Outside front: steps, cornice, windows, and the pointing on brick fronts.
- Roof: most rowhouses have flat or low-slope roofs. Look for ceiling stains on the top floor and ask the roof’s age.
- Party walls: cracks, damp spots or bowing along shared walls.
- Rear wall and additions: rear additions and back walls are where shortcuts hide. Look for cracks, sagging floors and water.
- Basement: water lines, efflorescence, sump pump, the main drain, and the electrical panel.
- Renovation quality: in flipped houses, ask for permits and look at what’s behind the new finishes where you can.
- Parking and alley: pad, garage, or street; and what the alley looks like.
Older detached homes and condos
In neighborhoods like Roland Park, Homeland, Lake Evesham and Mount Washington: roof type and age, chimney, gutters and grading, heating system, panel and wiring, big trees near the sewer line, garage condition, and any covenants.
Common areas, elevator and roof condition if you can learn it, parking, storage, noise, the fee and what it covers, and the building’s loan eligibility.
I’ve run Property Management of Baltimore since 2014, so when I see a problem on a tour I can usually tell you whether it’s a $300 fix or a $30,000 one. That’s what keeps you from overpaying or walking away from the right house. More: buying with Mike.
Questions people ask
How do I schedule home tours in Baltimore?
Send me the homes you want to see. I’ll book showings and group them by neighborhood. You’ll sign a buyer agreement before we tour together, as required since August 2024.
What should I look for when touring a Baltimore rowhouse?
The roof and top-floor ceilings, party walls, the rear wall and any addition, basement water and the main drain, the electrical panel, permits for renovations, and parking.
Can I go to open houses without an agent?
Yes. Open houses are open to the public. If you’re working with an agent, tell the host and talk to your agent before discussing price.
How many homes should I tour in a day?
Four to six is the most useful range. Beyond that, details blur together.
Should I see a house more than once?
If you’re serious, yes. A second visit at a different time of day lets you recheck the basement and roof areas, measure, and see the block in different light.
About Mike Fielder
Mike Fielder is a Baltimore Realtor and Sales Director of The Key Home Team at Cummings & Co. Realtors. Licensed since June 2016, he focuses on North Baltimore (Lake Evesham, Lake Walker, Cedarcroft, Hampden and Remington) and the Towson area. He also serves as Vice President of the Lake Evesham Community Association.
Over his career, Mike has sold 190 homes worth more than $56 million. He’s backed by The Key Home Team, which has sold more than $375 million in real estate and closes about $30 million a year.
Mike founded Property Management of Baltimore in 2014, two years before getting his license, and still runs it. Managing rentals taught him what repairs really cost, which updates buyers pay for, and how to keep a deal moving when something breaks. Sellers get that judgment when deciding what to fix before listing. Buyers get it when they’re reading an inspection report.
A Towson University graduate, Mike keeps his approach simple: price from real recent sales, spend money only where it pays back, and compare offers by what the client actually keeps.
More from Mike: Buying with Mike · Neighborhood guide · Full bio
Want to tour homes in Baltimore?
Send me the listings you like. I’ll set up a tour day and tell you straight what I see in each house.
The Key Home Team of Cummings & Co. Realtors
Cell: 410-905-6678
Email: mike@mykeyhometeam.com
Office: 410-823-0033
108 W Timonium Rd, Timonium, MD 21093
Website: mikesellsbaltimore.com