Completing A Final Walk Through On Your First Home
Imagine walking through the door of your first home after closing, only to find there’s a huge hole in the wall, appliances are missing, and the home is a mess.
You’d probably be pretty mad about the whole situation. But at that point, the home is yours. The seller has their money and moved on. Short of taking them to court (which can be costly), these problems are now your problems.
A final walk-through is an essential step in buying your first home. It’s not just one more item to check off your list prior to closing.
It gives you one last look at the home prior to closing, to ensure everything is left as it was discussed in the contract.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at how to complete your final walk-through and what items you should be looking out for.
Completing A Final Walk-Through
A final walk-through is done before closing. It can be done a few days prior to closing or it can be done a few hours prior to closing. Generally it’s wise to allow sufficient time prior to closing, that way, if there are issues, they can be sorted out prior to closing.
When you do your walk-through, you’ll want to walk through the house in its entirety. Don’t forget to walk around the outside of the house as well. You’d hate to miss a sinkhole or gaping hole in the fence. Sure,
In the next portion of this post, we’ll cover what you need to be looking for in your final walk-through.
Are There New Problems?
There’s probably been a bit of time since you last saw the house. Most likely, you last saw it during the home inspection or at your last showing. In that time, problems could develop in the home.
So during your final walk-through, you’re making sure that the home has been left in the same or better condition since you last saw it.
Do a thorough enough job walking through the home to ensure there are no new problems. Are there huge holes in the walls? Is there a new water marks in the basement? Was a couch covering up a massive tear in the carpet?
This is your opportunity to confirm that the home is as it should be before closing.
Is Everything There?
A final walk-through also provides you with an opportunity to confirm that everything that is supposed to remain with the home is still there.
During the final walk-through, it is important to make sure all items that were negotiated in the contract are still in the home. Are all appliances still in the home? Were any other items to be left, like drapes?
Be sure to give everything in the home a good look over. There have been times where sellers end up taking strange items out of the home that they should take.
Are The Repairs Done?
The final walk-through also gives you one last final time to look over any repairs.
Did the seller agree to fix the fireplace? Or, were they supposed to touch up some drywall or paint? If so, this is the time to make sure that the repairs are satisfactory.
Make sure all of these items are in proper working order before moving.
Final Note: What A Final Walk-Through Is Not
It’s important, too, to remember what a final walk-through is not.
A final walk-through is not the time to ask the seller for repairs. The time and place for that were with the home inspection. The seller would only be required to fix things that have changed since the home inspection.
A final walk-though is only about confirming the condition of the property. That all items that are supposed to be there are there and that there aren’t any new problems that have developed.
Are you thinking about buying your first Knoxville home? Are you unsure of where to start? Don’t worry – you’re not alone. We’ve helped countless Knoxville first time buyers buy their first home and we’d love to do the same for you. Shoot us a text, email, or give us a call today. Rick can be contacted at 865-696-9002 or via email at [email protected]. Kati can be reached at 865-696-1888 or via email at [email protected].
