We occasionally talk here about when it's appropriate to abort an interview cycle early, and the most recent anecdote I have is walking into a place with a ridiculously loud ventilation system that was bad enough that I could feel it affecting my ability to think. I ended up phoning in about half of that interview and felt guilty for wasting their time.

Something I've noticed about real estate agents and especially leasing agents is that they tend to try to keep the conversation up, and in an empty house that can be a couple decibels louder than normal conversation. If you have a partner, take them with you and collude so that the more sensitive person can escape to the other end of the space and just listen. If you are single, take a friend who is 'helping you' house/apartment hunt and use them as a meat shield.

Something I keep saying I'll do and never actually do is take a day off and just be in the neighborhood outside, because some places are quiet during business hours and a cacophony during rush hour or due to night life.