7 Things to Look for During Your Final Walkthrough

We have written about what to think about when choosing your home and getting your loan. And now it’s here!  Your closing day on your new home! Pretty exciting and boy, you can’t WAIT to get those loan papers signed and the keys to your new home.

But WAIT! Slow down – you need to do one final walk through before you sign all that paperwork to make this home yours. Once it is yours, the sellers have no obligation to fix anything.

You could schedule your walkthrough a few hours before closing or the day before. The only thing, if you DO find something within hours of closing that needs to be remedied during your walkthrough, there would be only hours to get it fixed OR money would need to be set aside. Perhaps the day would before would work out better. Best thing would be to ask your agent what they think would be best.

What should you look for while you’re walking through the home for the last time right before closing?

·         First? Start the dishwasher. You will want to make sure it doesn’t leak and it takes a while to run through its cycles. Doesn’t have to be a full cycle to show if there is any leaking.

·         Turn on the stove and oven to see if they heat up.

·         Turn on the furnace & air conditioner.

·         Check the plumbing. Run the water for a while to see if there are any leaks. Run your hand around the outside of the pipes to see if there is any moisture. Check under the pipes, are there any puddles? Is the water running down the drain freely?

·         Run the tub and shower for quite a while. Do the drains run fast? If they’re on the second floors, run to the first floor – look up. Does it look like there is ANY moisture on the ceiling?

·         Turn on and off lights in all the rooms.

·         Find the water heater. Is there any water surrounding the unit?

This is just a brief list to get you thinking what to look for before you sign those papers. Your agent will help you through the closing process and the final walkthrough. However, you should be right there beside your agent checking these things out. Yes, it IS really exciting to be closing on your new home, but check it out before, you won’t be able to ask for something to be fixed after the closing.

Do you want to know what you need to do to get started? Contact us today! San Francisco Real Estate Professionals are committed to fast, professional and courteous service to help you understand and feel at ease throughout the home buying process. Our trained and licensed agents specialize in the San Francisco Peninsula area real estate market and are prepared to find the right home and get the best price.