Silver Spring, MD Home Buyer FAQs: What's the final walk-through for? How soon can we go?
According to the Maryland Residential Contract of Sale the buyer reserves the right to inspect the property within the five days prior to closing. I always advise my clients to schedule the final walk-through at least a day or 2 in advance and not to wait until the last minute. But in the event the seller has not moved out all their belongings, it is best to wait until he has.
The final walk-through serves 3 purposes:
1. We want to make sure that the home is in the same condition as of the date of contract ratification and any personal property that is to convey with the house is, in fact, still in the house.
2. We check to see that the house is free of trash and debris and in broom-clean condition.
3. We also want to check on any repairs that were negotiated after the home inspection. The seller should submit copy of invoices of any and all repairs before settlement but we also want to see it for ourselves. Depending on the extent of repairs, it may also make sense to hire your home inspector for a follow-up inspection.
What happens if the final walk-through is not satisfactory?
Hopefully we still have a little bit of time to sort things out. If, for example, we discover a missing appliance we would request the seller to return it and/or issue a credit (the latter would be subject to your lender's approval). In the event things are not addressed by the time we are scheduled to close, then settlement could be delayed.
