Most people touring a unit ask about the unit. Square footage, whether the appliances are included, how old the flooring is. All reasonable. None of it tells you much about whether you're buying into a well-run building or a slow-motion problem. Here's what I'd actually ask.
"When was the last reserve fund study, and what's the funding ratio?"
Most listing agents won't have this memorized, and that's fine, it tells your own agent exactly what to request before you go firm. Asking it out loud signals you're a serious buyer, and it starts the paper trail early instead of scrambling for it during your condition period.
"Has there been a special assessment in the last five years, and is one being discussed?"
A past assessment isn't automatically bad news, sometimes it means a problem already got handled. What you want to know is whether there's a known issue on the horizon that hasn't hit the fee yet.
"What's included in the maintenance fee, specifically?"
Heat, water, internet, parking maintenance, all of it varies building to building. A number that looks high on paper can be the better deal once you know everything it actually covers.
"How many units in the building are tenant-occupied versus owner-occupied?"
Buyers underestimate how much this affects both the day-to-day feel of a building and its resale value. A higher owner-occupancy rate generally means more engaged upkeep and a more stable board. It can also affect financing, since some lenders apply stricter terms to buildings with a high rental ratio.
"Are there any ongoing legal proceedings involving the corporation?"
This shows up in the status certificate, but asking it directly at the open house often gets you a more honest, immediate answer than waiting for the paperwork, and tells you quickly whether it's worth pursuing the unit at all.
"What's actually changed about the building in the last two years?"
A vague open-ended question, but a genuinely useful one. It gets people talking past their rehearsed answers, and sometimes surfaces things, an elevator replacement, a new property management company, a board shakeup, that a more specific question wouldn't have caught.
None of these questions require confrontation. Ask them casually, the way you'd ask about parking. The answers, or the lack of them, tell you more about a building than the staging ever will.