The inspector of your dream home completed his report and declared the home in sound condition. You’re thrilled to be taking ownership and making plans to turn it into a reflection of your personality and pleasure. You are eager to begin plans for creative decorating that will transform this home into a source of comfort and pride for many years to come.
There’s one important step you’ll want to take before the closing that will assure you’ve made the right decision and avoid making a mistake that could cause regret and time and money loss: the final walk-through. Your agent will remind you to perform this task, and it’s something you want to do yourself with thoroughness and even with the help of family members.
The walk-through has a very practical aspect. Mainly, it’s a confirmation that the condition of the property has not changed, that there’s been no deterioration since you last saw it, and that any repairs you requested in the sales agreement have been successfully completed. If you originally viewed the house while the owner was still occupying it and now the house is vacant, this visitation will give you a fresh perspective with which to see the house, revealing issues that were not initially apparent.
Bring along the home inspection report and the sales agreement. Be sure those documents include the list of repairs that were to have been made (if any), and what items are to be included in the sale, such as appliances and furniture. You’ll want to have them organized so you can check them off one-by-one. Take your time. Look closely. Don’t be shy about questioning small details. You’re paying good money for this home, so you want to make sure that you’re getting what you expect.
Walk-Through Checklist:
- As you walk up to the house, notice any debris and if the landscaping has changed in any way. Have any trees or plants been removed? Check under any piles of leaves for forgotten contractor scraps.
- Enter. Do you detect any unusual smells in the house? Check this before you turn on any heating or ventilation systems.
- Turn on all the lights and ceiling fans.
- Make sure windows and doors open, close, and lock properly, including garage doors and their openers. Are any windows broken or cracked?
- If there was rain or a severe storm since you visited the house, check for stains on walls and ceilings and damage to windows and floors.
- Turn on the heating and air conditioning units for proper temperatures and any unusual smells.
- Inspect faucets and showers for any dripping before you turn them on. Then turn on water faucets in kitchen and bathrooms. Does the water drain properly? Any leaks under the kitchen sink and bathroom cabinets?
- Turn on ovens, stove burners and exhaust fans.
- Operate the sprinkler system, if there is one. Are all the heads spraying?
- Flush toilets. Any problems with the water level, flusher or strange noises or smells?
- If carpeting, are there any dark stains or wet areas that weren’t there before? If other flooring, have new gashes or bad stains appeared since you went under contract? It’s possible that damage could have occurred since last you saw the interior of the house when the sellers moved out.
- See that any items that were to be included in the sale are there, such as appliances, furniture, window treatments, lighting fixtures, alarm system, warranties.
- Are there owner’s manuals to appliances that come with the house or warranties? Having these on hand could be useful in the future, though if it’s not specified in the contract, the sellers aren’t required to leave them behind. They do come in handy when you’re searching for vendors and phone numbers for future maintenance and repairs.
- Check corners, cabinets and closets, and around the perimeter of rooms for signs of infestations or bugs.
- Look in storage areas for items like extra screens and storm windows or for trash or unwanted items the owner didn’t remove.
Many of the items in this walk-through checklist will have been checked during your home inspection, so it might not be necessary to re-check them if you don’t have time. How thorough you choose to be is completely up to you. Do make sure that any repairs previously requested be made during the option period have been completed and done to the standards set forth by any amendments signed by both parties. Your Realtor® can help you determine if something was not completed and needs to be brought up to the seller.
Fixes and Negotiations
If you detect any problems during your walk-through, these should be reported to your agent. If anything was an issue at the time you signed the contract and no arrangements were made through the addition of an amendment, however, it’s probable that the sellers won’t be held accountable for fixing any issues you find. If the sellers didn’t complete their side of the agreement for repairs, finished moving their things out of the house or any significant damage was done to the house recently, it’s possible that your agent will be able to negotiate some sort of fix. For small problems, it might not be worth delaying the closing or asking for a fix that you could easily do yourself.
These few hours of your time will be well spent. Your diligence will be a reflection of your taking possession of a well-appointed residence. What a great feeling that is!
