A location that photographs well is the easy part of scouting. Most of the assessment concerns whether a crew can physically work there, and appearance is checked after those questions.
Sound is the first disqualifier
Dialogue recorded badly cannot be repaired, which makes ambient noise the most common reason a promising space is rejected before anything else is considered.
Scouts listen for traffic, aircraft paths, ventilation, refrigeration and neighbouring activity, and they listen at the time of day the shoot will actually occur rather than whenever they visit.
Interior acoustics matter as much as external noise. Hard parallel surfaces produce reflections that make speech difficult to record cleanly regardless of how quiet the surroundings are.
Power and access decide what can be brought
Lighting draws considerable current, and available circuits determine whether a space can be lit as intended or requires a generator, which changes both budget and noise conditions.
Access is assessed physically. Door widths, stair turns, lift capacity and the distance from where vehicles can stop all determine how long loading takes and what equipment is realistic.
Space for everything not in frame is equally important, since a crew needs somewhere to put cases, monitors and people, and a room that fills entirely with the shot becomes unworkable.
The sun is a schedule, not a condition
For any space with windows, a scout records which direction they face and how light moves through the room across a day, because that determines when a scene can be filmed.
A room that looks ideal at noon may be unusable three hours later, and continuity across a long scene depends on the light staying broadly consistent for its duration.
Overcast conditions are noted as an advantage rather than a compromise, since diffuse light changes more slowly and gives a longer usable window.
Permission is a practical matter
Someone must have the authority to grant access, and in shared or commercial buildings that authority is often split between an owner, a manager and other occupants.
Neighbours matter too. A shoot that inconveniences people who were not consulted tends to encounter problems partway through the day, when relocating is no longer an option.
What appearance is judged against
Only once a space is workable does the scout assess whether it suits the story, and that judgement is made through a lens rather than by eye, since coverage depends on angles that exist.
The most useful record is a set of photographs from the positions a camera could actually occupy, which frequently reveals that a striking room offers only one viable shot.