In the last chance to tour your soon-to-be home, it’s important to keep a few key pieces in mind to make sure it is in solid buying condition. While it is not required by law to do a final walkthrough, you will definitely want to feel confident and excited when you make it official with your new abode. This is also an important opportunity to check out the repairs made after your home inspection. Take this list of what to look for when you make your final walkthrough, so you don’t miss a thing:
- Test-out all light switches and outlets
- Check the kitchen appliances are working
- Open windows to see if they are sticking and if any screens are missing
- Open and close kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors checking they open/close properly and that shelving is intact
- Run the faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms to check that both hot and cold water is working and there are no leaks
- Flush all the toilets
- Test the bathroom fans
- Check sprinklers or irrigation systems are in good condition
- Turn on the HVAC system to ensure hot and cold air is coming through the vents
- Test garage door openers
What happens if you find something wrong during the final walkthrough?
Depending on any contingencies included in the purchase agreement, your closing could be delayed until the seller fixes the issue. As the buyer, you can ask the seller to add credit at the closing so you can fix the issues yourselves. Or, in the worst case scenario, you could completely forgo the sale and back out.
Our best advice for your final walkthrough?
Bring your Realtor along! They can seamlessly refer back to your purchase agreement and share any issues to the seller’s agent.
