Final walkthrough checklist before closing: repairs first

Do you need a final walkthrough before closing?

Yes, plan on one. If it isn't on your calendar yet, ask your agent when it's booked. It is your last look at the agreed repairs before you sign. Total Mortgage says it is not the same as a home inspection: it is a last review that agreed repairs were completed and nothing new has gone wrong.

What should you check at the final walkthrough?

Start with your signed repair addendum, not the rooms. Confirm each repair the seller agreed to is done, then run every system and fixture, then check that nothing that stays with the house is gone or newly damaged.

Key takeaways

• It usually happens close to closing. InterNACHI (International Association of Certified Home Inspectors) calls it a final assessment of the home just before the paperwork for the sale is finalized.
• Allow about 20 minutes for a 1,200 square foot house and one to two hours for a larger one, per Total Mortgage.
• Mark each repair done, partly done or not done, and photograph anything that is not.
• If anything is wrong, tell your agent before you sign. Problems are harder to fix once the house is yours.

Are the agreed repairs actually done?

Go down your repair addendum one line at a time, and compare each repair against the matching line in your inspection report, not just the addendum summary. InterNACHI's walkthrough checklist starts from the same place: the items the initial inspection reported as in need of repair. For each repair:

• ☐ Look at the work itself, not just the spot where the problem used to be.
• ☐ Ask for the paid invoice, receipt or warranty if the seller promised one. If the work needed a permit, ask which permit covers it.
• ☐ Take a photo that matches the item on your list.
• ☐ Run the thing that was fixed. Turn on the repaired outlet, flush the repaired toilet, run the repaired faucet.

Mark each line done, partly done or not done. Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and flags the few big items that need a contractor quote.

What should you bring?

Bring your purchase agreement, inspection report, repair addendum, and any receipts, warranties or paperwork for repairs the seller did. Add your phone for photos, a phone charger to test outlets, and a flashlight.

Your agent can come with you. You can also bring your inspector or a contractor, though you would usually pay any professional you bring. For a repair that touches safety, water or a major system, the cost is usually worth it. The re-inspection guide covers what that visit checks.

Do all the systems and fixtures work?

Run everything, even if the seller says it all worked.

• ☐ Utilities: water, electricity and gas are on.
• ☐ Appliances: run the washer, dryer, dishwasher, stove and oven.
• ☐ Water: run every faucet hot and cold, check pipes and faucets for leaks, flush every toilet, and run each shower and tub.
• ☐ Power: test the switches, ceiling fans and bathroom and stove fans. Plug your charger into each outlet, especially any that were repaired.
• ☐ Openings: open and close every door and window and check that they lock. Run the garage door from the button inside, since the remote may not arrive until closing.
• ☐ Air: run the heating, and the cooling if it is warm enough outside to run it.

If you smell gas at any point, leave the house and call your gas utility or 911 before you touch anything else.

Is anything missing or newly damaged?

Check that the fixtures and appliances you agreed to buy are still in place: doorknobs, blinds, lighting, ceiling fans and built-ins.

Then look where furniture used to stand, and the corners of rooms, for new mold. Scan ceilings, walls, floors and baseboards for stains or damage from the move-out, and check the yard and garage for trash the seller left.

What if something is wrong?

Write it down, take photos, and have your agent raise it with the seller's agent. Get whatever you agree in writing before closing.

• Repair before closing fits a small fix, like a broken doorknob, which ARAG says can be fixed without delaying the closing.
• A credit gives you money to hire your own contractor.
• A holdback keeps money in escrow to cover the cost, as ARAG puts it.

Which of these you can ask for depends on your contract and your loan, so confirm with your agent.

A credit or a holdback needs a dollar figure. Start from the price on that repair line, if you have one. If the fix needs a specialist, get a written bid before you agree to a number.

What are the final steps before closing?

If you have a mortgage, your Closing Disclosure should arrive at least three business days before closing, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says to use those days to resolve problems. Do the walkthrough, then compare the Closing Disclosure with what you agreed. If a credit changed, check that it shows up. Then sign.

For the other steps in the final days, see how long after inspection closing takes.

If a repair is still open, upload your inspection report to Kept and have it priced before you sign.

Sources

• Total Mortgage, Final Walkthrough Checklist for Homebuyers
• ARAG, What to Do When You Spot a Problem at Your Final Walk-Through
• InterNACHI, Final Walk-Through Checklist
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Closing Disclosure explainer