Viewings and scoring
Book a viewing, keep your phone in your pocket while you look round, and score the home in one tap afterwards. Nothing pings you during a viewing.
#Book a viewing
Tap "Book a viewing" on a home's page. Add when, the agent, and who you spoke to if you like. "Add to my calendar" is on unless you turn it off. The calendar entry includes the questions to ask when you book.
If you have the agent's number, the button says "Call agent to book". The questions to ask show while you're on the phone, and you can note the answers there.
To remove a viewing, swipe it in Viewings and tap Remove.
#Pencilled in or confirmed
Agents often can't confirm a time on the call. A new viewing is saved as pencilled in. When the agent confirms, tap the viewing on the home's page or in Viewings and turn on "The agent has confirmed it". You can change the time there too.
#On your lock screen
On a viewing day, your lock screen shows the next home from 3 hours before your first viewing until 3 hours after your last. It works for up to 6 viewings a day.
- Before the viewing it shows the address, the agent, the time, and up to 3 questions to ask.
- 10 minutes after the start time it changes to "How did it feel?" with buttons 1 to 10. One tap saves your score. You don't need to open the app.
- After you score, it shows your next viewing and a "Talk about it" button.
Your score never shows on the lock screen. There are no sounds and no notifications during a viewing.
#Your score
Score each home from 1 to 10: 1 is no, 10 is yes. Go with how it felt. You can also score in the app from 30 minutes before the viewing, and change your score later.
With very large text (the Larger Accessibility Sizes in your iPhone's settings), the buttons sit in two rows: 1 to 5, then 6 to 10. They stay big enough to tap, and one tap still saves. On the lock screen they're always in two rows.
A score of 8 or more starts the deep dive in the background, so it's ready when you look. Homes you score 6 or more line up in Decide.
#I've already seen it
Seen a home before you added it? Tap "I've already seen it". Pick the day, and the time if you know it. Score it now or later.
We then offer the photos you took that day near the home. Tap "Add these photos" or "Not these". You can also say what you still remember. These viewings don't go into your calendar or lock screen.
#Your photos
Take photos with your normal Camera app. When you open the home, photos from 10 minutes before to 90 minutes after the viewing time are matched to it. Long-press a photo that isn't from this viewing and tap "Not from this viewing".
Your photos show first in the home's gallery, tagged "Your photo". They stay on your phone.
#Talk about it
After a viewing, tap "How was it? Talk for two minutes", or "Talk about it" in Viewings or on your lock screen. Say what you liked, what worried you and what the agent said. You can type instead.
Your voice is turned into text on your phone, and the recording isn't kept. We sort what you said into what you liked, what worried you, what the agent answered and what the agent will come back on. New questions go to the right place in the Questions tab.
Sorting uses AI, so the first time you save, the app asks first. Tap Not now and what you said is saved as you wrote it, just not sorted. See "Using AI" in Privacy.
Under "Anything stand out?" you can tap a few tags, like Bright, Good layout, Damp smell or Hard to park. They're optional and saving them alone doesn't use AI. Things to check become questions for this home, such as asking the agent about damp or a permit for parking. Things you liked show on the home in Compare and Decide, and can go in your thank-you note to the agent. If you're buying together and you both tag a home, you'll see where you agree.
#A second viewing
If you score a home 8 or more and have nothing else booked, the home suggests "Book a second viewing". Most buyers view again before offering, ideally at a different time of day. After a second viewing, your email to the agent can include every open question.
#Every viewing checklist
Some checks are worth doing in every home: running the taps, looking for damp and water stains, checking your phone signal. We don't repeat them on each home. They're in the Viewings tab under "Every viewing" for your next viewing day.
Checks for houses only, like the loft, appear only when that day includes a house. Checks for flats only appear only when it includes a flat. Nothing is ticked or counted.
#New builds
Before you offer on a new build, read reviews of the developer and of the company that will manage the building or estate. HomeViews has resident reviews, and the Home Builders Federation publishes a star rating for each developer. If earlier phases are finished, an evening visit and a word with a resident tell you more than the show home.