Should I Do a Final Walkthrough?

You won the offer, you negotiated successfully through the inspections, you conquered the mounds mortgage paperwork, and you even called in the utilities like a good boy*.  It's almost settlement, but we have one last stop by the house for the final walkthrough.

Before settlement, buyers have the right to do a final inspection of the home before making it final.  Because once you settle, you own the house and any problems that come with it.  And for that reason, I can’t express how much I recommend you go to your final walkthrough.  This gives you the opportunity to go through and make sure nothing has changed since you made your offer.

So what things would you be doing at the final walkthrough:

1. If you had any repairs done, I would be looking to see that they were completed and functioning properly.

2. Unless it was winterized, I would run the water, flush the toilets, and look for any potential leaks.

3. Testing the appliances.

4. Test Heating and Air conditioning.

5. Check all of your electric light fixtures.

6. Inspect the floors, walls, and ceilings

7. Make sure no trash was left behind.

This all sounds pretty straight forward, but in my years in real estate I have seen some horror stories of buyers that opted not to do a final walkthrough.  It’s always worth doing your due diligence.