Is a final walk through really something buyers need to do? You may have had an inspection and request items be fixed prior to closing so a final walk through is your chance to take one last look at your new home before signing the papers. Most of the time a final walk through is uneventful, but it gives you that peace of mind prior to officially owning the home. But in some cases, it can alert you to issues you were not expecting.
One reason to have a final walk through is to make sure any items you requested from your inspection have been repaired or remedied as specified in the inspection addendum or amendment. Just because you may have a receipt doesn’t guarantee it is fixed as you intended.
Has there been any damage to the home since you last saw it, either inside or outside? Perhaps walls were banged up when furniture was moved out, floors may have been scratched, tree limbs may have fallen in a storm. If the home was vacant, other damage may have occurred that no one knows about. This is your chance to identify any issues within reason, and your Realtor will address them with the seller’s Realtor.
The house is supposed to be sold as you saw it when you signed the purchase agreement. Now and then, sellers request to swap out a light fixture or appliances, and you should make sure the new items are in working order. In rare cases, sellers may swap out something like the washer with an old model and hope you don’t notice. These types of problems are the exception and should then be addressed prior to your signing the purchase agreement, so you won’t be stuck with something you didn’t want.
A general rule for sellers is to clean out the home when they move, sometimes a professional cleaning company is requested. If you do your final walk through right before closing, you can make sure the sellers have truly moved out and taken everything with them. Occasionally, sellers leave garbage or junk they didn’t want behind. By finding this out on your walk through, you can request that it all be removed or have the sellers pay to have it removed.
Your final walk through will be done with your Realtor, who will be able to answer any questions you have specific to the home you are about to purchase so it’s best not to skip this final opportunity to walk through. It normally only takes about fifteen minutes, and it will give you peace of mind when you sit down at the closing table to sign the purchase documents.