The Digital Walkthrough: What To Look Out for During a Video Inspection

Buying a home you've never stepped inside was once considered a risk only the boldest buyers would take. But as video technology has improved, and the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many people shop for homes, the concept has gone from niche to nearly mainstream. 

According to the National Association of Realtors®, between 5% and 7% of buyers now purchase a home based solely on a virtual tour, without ever setting foot on the property. It's a small share of the overall market, but it's a meaningful one. As a result, the video walkthrough has become a standard part of the homebuying process for relocators, out-of-state buyers, and anyone who can't easily take an afternoon off to visit in person.

That said, a video walkthrough can also be a tool for hiding serious problems in plain sight. Here's how to make sure yours goes the way it should and gives you the information you need to move ahead, or move on. 

A showing vs. an inspection: Know which one you're doing

Before you dial in, understand what kind of walkthrough you're watching. A showing is designed to win you over. The home is staged, cleaned, and curated—its job is to attract an offer. 

A pre-offer video walkthrough inspection, by contrast, is about asking a harder question: “What could go wrong after I buy this home?” 

Even that harder-nosed inspection, though, is not a substitute for hiring a licensed home inspector. 

"Do not substitute a video walkthrough inspection for a licensed inspection," says Ryann Brier, a licensed agent and investor with City Lights Home Buyers in Grand Rapids, MI. She regularly conducts FaceTime tours for buyers arriving from out of state. The video walkthrough helps you decide whether you want to spend money on that deeper, professional inspection, but it doesn't replace it.

What to ask the camera person to do

The person on the other end of the call—whether it's a listing agent, a buyer's agent, or a seller—controls what you see. Don't be passive. Before they take a single step, ask them to flip on every light in the house. Details disappear in poor lighting, and you want to see walls, ceilings, and floors clearly.

From there, ask them to run the water: faucets and toilets in every bathroom, not just the primary suite. You're listening for healthy water pressure and watching how quickly drains respond. In older homes, slow drainage or gurgling sounds can indicate venting problems.

Aaron King, restoration manager at Allen Service, a Fort Collins, CO, home services company, advises paying close attention to plumbing age. In pre-1970s homes, galvanized pipes are common and prone to clogging, and a replumbing job can cost thousands.

Ask them to open every cabinet and closet, especially under sinks. Water damage there is common, often neglected, and not something sellers typically rush to clean up. Look for warping, discoloration, or moisture stains. 

"Checking these areas can also give you a sense of how well a property is maintained beyond the more visible areas that are always cleaned up for a showing,” says King. 

The basement and attic deserve a slow, deliberate tour. King recommends watching for signs of water intrusion, humidity issues, and pest activity. Pay attention to baseboards, door frames, and window casings: warping or bowing in wooden structural elements can signal past or ongoing moisture problems.

Don't skip the mechanical systems. A glance at the electrical panel tells you something about a home's age and maintenance history. Ask to see the furnace and AC units as well.

"Ask them to turn on the heat and listen for the furnace to kick on," says Brier. A functioning furnace should hum—rattling or grinding sounds are worth flagging for your inspector.

Finally, ask for a look outside. Hose bibs and exterior spigots can show signs of leaking that point to water intrusion inside walls or ceilings. Check window and door installation: weep holes, proper caulking, and how basement window wells sit relative to grade all matter. And ask the camera person to pan up and down the street. A busy road, a commercial property next door, or maintenance on neighboring homes are all things worth knowing before you make an offer.

Listen like it's your job

Sound tells you things a camera can't. When the camera person turns on the HVAC, listen carefully. A healthy system hums. Rattling, grinding, or loud startup clanks all warrant follow-up. If the home is in a denser neighborhood, ask the agent to pause and let ambient sound in—traffic noise, neighbors, nearby construction. This is harder to gauge in a video call, but asking for a moment of silence is worth it.

One audio red flag Brier highlights: multiple sump pumps running continuously. 

"Do not confuse multiple sump pumps continuously running for a feature," she says. "It's an underlying issue."

Don’t be afraid to ask about smell

This is the hardest part of the sensory gap in a video walkthrough, but you can still gather information. Ask your representative directly: Does anything smell musty, damp, stale, or otherwise off? 

King advises treating any musty or "water" smell as a potential sign of mold or mildew somewhere in the home. If there's an air freshener in every room, that's worth noting. It can be a sign that a seller is masking an odor problem. 

And if there's a dehumidifier running full-time in the basement? Brier says that this is “basically an automatic confession."

Visit at a different time

If you're seriously considering making an offer, Brier recommends requesting a second walkthrough—or at least a street-level video—at a different time of day. Neighborhoods at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday can look and feel very different from the same block at 6 p.m. on a Friday. If quiet matters to you, you need to see how things sound and feel outside of one window of time. 

Remote buying isn't going anywhere, and neither is the sensory gap it creates. The buyers who navigate it best are the ones who stop being passive viewers and start asking hard questions. A video walkthrough is evidence, so approach it accordingly.