subject: What You Ought To Know About Your Final Walk-thru Inspection Before Closing On Your Real-estate Deal [print this page] A Final walk-thru is not a home inspectionA Final walk-thru is not a home inspection. It's not a period to start negotiations with the seller to do repairs to your new home, neither is it a contingency. A final walk-through is an inspection completed typically within hrs of the closing but occasionally a day or two earlier. Its primary function is usually to confirm that the property is in the condition you agreed to buy and that agreed-upon repairs, if any, were completed and nothing has gone wrong with the home since you last looked at it. It's best to take the final walk-thru very seriously because things do sometimes go wrong before closing.
Here's a list of things to check on a real estate final walk-through:
- Turn on and off all light fixture
- Run water & look beneath the sinks for leaks
- Test all appliances
- Check garage door openers
- Open and shut all doors
- Flush toilets
- Inspect ceilings, wall and floors
- Run garbage disposal and exhaust fans
- Test heating and air-conditioning
- Open and close windows
- Ensure all rubbish is removed from the house
Often sellers do not move out until the day the deal closes or even a few days after closing. This can be a good opportunity to perform the walk-thru inspection with the seller present because the seller is familiar with all the little quirks about the home and can answer questions that buyers could have about how to use certain features of the house.
Buyers are often pressed for time as the day draws near for closing, which suggests buyers might be tempted to pass on the final walk-through. It is never a good idea to forgo the final walk-through. If you cannot get to the walk-thru yourself, you can still designate someone else to do the walk-thru for you as your representative.
The last thing you want to do is pass on the final walk-thru. It is your last chance to double check and ensure the home is in the condition you assume it to be in. You do not want to close on your home and then show up and find that the repairs that the seller was going to make weren't done or that they were completed, but not to your expectations. This is your last chance to make sure your're getting the house you expect to get. Make sure you take advantage of this chance to verify the home is as it should be.
