Tips to Help Make Your Final Walk-Through Count
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If you’re a homebuyer, the final-walkthrough is an important part of the process that you need to know how to navigate.
What is the final walk-through? The final walk-through is the buyer’s final opportunity to walk through the home and check it out before the official closing. This happens after the offer has been accepted and the inspection is done.
Final walk-throughs are always a good idea. Why? If the last time you saw the home was two weeks ago, it might not be in the same condition today as it was then. As sellers move out, they take things off the walls and move furniture around, and certain issues you didn’t see during the inspection might be revealed during this time.
Final walk-throughs are always a good idea.
With that in mind, here are three tips to help make your final walk-through count:
1. Don’t wait until the day of the closing to do the walk-through. Real estate agents know that by that time, if you find an issue you’d like the seller to take care of, it will be too late. Instead, do the walk-through a day or two in advance of the closing so you have time to reflect on whether any issues you find are worth bringing to the seller’s attention.
2. Use your phone to check the outlets during the walk-through. If you asked the seller to repair the outlets, this is an easy and effective way to know if they’re all working.
3. Watch out for any leftover belongings. State in your purchase agreement which items you’d like the seller to remove prior to closing. If you find any of these items during the walk-through, have your agent add an addendum to the contract and ask the seller to remove those items again. Hold off on the closing if you need to. You can also work out a dollar arrangement where the seller will pay for someone to remove the items for you.
If you have any questions about this topic or you have any other real estate needs I can take care of, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you.
I never knew that final walk-throughs allow the buyer to state any items that the seller needs to remove. My wife and I are narrowing down our decision on two different properties and I’m worried about our final walk-throughs. I’ll be sure to keep these tips in mind as we talk with our Realtor about what we want.
Thank-you for sharing the post! It was of real help.
Thank-you for sharing the post! It was of real help.