Wondering what a final walk through is or what to look for in a walk through? A final walk through is the very last step of the process before you close on a home. In simple terms, it is a verification that the home is how you want it. Checking that all the repairs they said are done are actually done and done properly. Making sure that no new issues have occurred.

Once you make an offer on a home and the offer is accepted, a home inspection will happen. An inspector will come out and look closely at the whole home including the roof, HVAC, etc. He will then create a report of all the findings and conclude with a list of recommended repairs or items that may need replacing. The buyers will go through this list and choose the items they feel is necessary to be fixed before they purchase the home. Negotiations will occur and will end with a signed repair addendum by both the buyers and sellers.

Before closing, it is the seller’s responsibility to get fixed whatever was on that list. The final walk through is your chance to verify that everything was fixed to your standards. If you feel confident that everything was done, you can also waive the final walk through.

It is recommended that buyers do a final walk through because there may have been other incidents that could have occurred after a home inspection. For example, let’s say the sellers were trying to be nice and fixed up some marks on the wall with paint. Well often times paint may dry a slightly different color than the wall so now you have off colored blotches throughout the home. By doing a walk through, the buyer can pinpoint these types of errors and have the seller fix this before the sale.

However, a walk through is not the time to negotiate new repairs to be made. It is simply a confirmation that the home is in the condition you agreed to buy it in. Anything that may occur after a home inspection and was not in the inspection report may be brought up such as the paint example above. If the buyers did not state they wanted the paint fixed, then it would be the seller’s job to fix it.

A few other things to look out for during a final walk through is to turn on all the lights and make sure they work. Run all the faucets and make sure they work, that there are no leaks and they drain properly. Flush each toilet to ensure they run correctly. Verify that all the appliances that the contract stated would be there are and that they all run properly. Open all doors and windows to see if they shut correctly. Check the heat, air, garage door opener and doorbell. Lastly, make sure there is not any debris left in the home.

If you are still looking for the right home or have any questions about the Greenville area, please give us a call at 864-438-5050 and we will be happy to assist you. Visit www.GreenvilleRealEstateHub.com for more information on local real estate.