Two people walk through the same house and come out with the same verdict. Then somebody says “I liked it” and somebody else says “I liked it, but” and it turns out you were weighing completely different things.
Score separately, then compare
The instinct is to discuss as you go. It feels efficient and it quietly ruins the data. Whoever speaks first anchors the other, and by the kitchen you are agreeing about a place neither of you would have picked alone.
Score it on your own, then put the two side by side. What you are looking for is not the total. It is the gaps.
The gaps are the useful part
A property where you both scored 7 tells you very little. A property where one of you scored 9 and the other scored 4 tells you exactly what to talk about, and it is almost never the thing you expected.
- Commute matters more to whoever actually does it
- Storage matters more to whoever manages the house
- Outdoor space is usually one person’s dealbreaker, not both
Decide the weighting once, early
Most disagreements about a house are really disagreements about priorities that were never said out loud. Setting the weightings before you see anything is awkward for ten minutes and saves a lot of Saturdays.
See what to look for at an open inspection for the things worth scoring while you are standing there.