Why Should You Do a Final Walk-Thru?

Final walk-through is extremely important. When I have buyers who do not want to do final walk through, I also get it in writing that they declined.

Good points!  Thanks for sharing.

Especially like your thoughts here...

If you wait too close to closing - like the morning OF closing - then there may not be enough time to address repairs that were not done correctly. This could lead to a delay in closing and unhappy clients.

At a walk-thru last week where the Buyer walked in (seller already gone), ran upstairs, poked his head in each room and started to leave (His agent wasn't there either).

I asked if he'd like to check any of the appliances or plumbing and he said no, he had to go, bu would see me at the closing in the AM.

Fastest walk-thru I'd ever been thru.  Hope it all worked out for him!  I would have been there to guide my client. Joy

Kim

A great overview on why buyers should do a final walk-through and what to look for. I have never had a buyer not do one except when they are out of town. We get a waiver signed if they elect to not do on or can't be present.

Jeff

Hi Kim, excellent post on the final walk through. Making sure the agent has all that information ready for you really makes a difference.

Yep, we still hear of people that are too busy to do their walk thru's & then there are 'problems'.

I find the buyer especially the first time home buyers are so excited to see the home again, they love to do the walk through. Many of the transactions locally are short sales or REO's where there are no repair items to check on but I do believe it is important for the buyers to do the walk through anyways.

Nice, clear explanation of the walk-through.  I've had a lot of clients who - even after getting a similar explanation - want to ask for credits and other things.

All good reminders about the importance of the final walk through for sellers and buyers.

We like to walk a property when the Sellers have moved out, so it must usually be done the day of closing. Repairs are verified prior to that time, but the best walk is when there is no furniture in the house.

Sharon

I did a final walk-through of a townhouse and learned that the dryer didn't heat and that the dishwasher was leaking water onto the kitchen floor when it was in the wash cycle.  The repairs held up the deal, because it was already owned by a RELO company and they did not have authorization to replace the appliances or give a seller concession.  So, the closing was delayed until the following week and the repairs were made.  Then on the new closing date, I checked the dishwasher and it was still dripping!  They ended up giving a seller's concession and also paid for an emergency repair the previous weekend.  Phew!

Depending on the time of the week, I prefer 3 days before Closing. PLENTY of time to do any unfinished agreed upon repairs and then do a re-walk-thru.

Dear Kim,

Regarding repairs, I usually check them right after they were completed to make sure, we can call back the vendor, if there are problems. We do the walkthrough right before settlement, because I and a colleague have had a refrigerator walk onto the moving truck, due to a poorly instructed moving company. A diaper pail as well, but the previous owners were not too keen on getting it back after it travelled to Tennessee for three weeks with a ripe load.

Good post on a subject we often do not see covered.  Thanks.

I agree that you should make sure you give yourself time to address any issues. Too often agents do the walk through on the way to the closing. This just doesn't leave any time to resolve issues.

Kim,

This is great!

I love it!

Great post!

Kevin

In the world of short sales, a walk thru is also a good time to see if there is evidence of moving going on!

Hello people!!

There is no such word in the English language as "THRU" !!

It does not exists!!

The correct spelling is "through"

It's embarrassing for us agents to misspell simple 3rd grade words.

Back to the subject. There were two occasions in the past where my buyer and I performed a final walkthough the day before COE and stopped the closing because of work promised that was never completed. This was a wakeup call to the seller because they were thinking that the deal was done and they didn't have to perform.

@#51, there's no such word as WTF, but we use it anyway and we know exactly what it means!

Back to the subject, I do the final walk-thru with my clients and they really don't care how I spell it, just as long as we do it.  A very good post with a very thorough explanation of what it is and what it is not.

Great post, and all terrific advice for buyers.  I also think it's a good thing to have your home inspector come along if possible to the walk through, as not all repairs can be confirmed with an untrained eye.  Thanks for sharing!