What to Do on a Home Final Walkthrough

The following is an excerpt from Buying a Home: The Missing Manual.

Weeks—or sometimes months—can pass between the time you make an offer on a house and the day you take possession of it. In between, things can happen that affect the home's condition—an appliance might go kaput, the owners' toddler could dump a half-gallon of grape juice on the white living-room carpet, the roof could spring a leak. That's why you put a final walkthrough contingency in your purchase agreement—so you can check for last-minute problems before the house becomes yours.

If the home has been sitting vacant, problems might go unnoticed and unrepaired, until you have the bad luck to discover them after closing. You don't want to find that a burst pipe has flooded the house or that the seller has removed appliances or fixtures that were supposed to convey with the sale. If the seller is still living in the home or has recently moved out, check to make sure no recent damage has occurred—walls and floors can get pretty banged up when the seller moves his furniture and personal property.

What to Look for on the Final Walkthrough

Although a "walkthrough" sounds like a quick, casual check, dispel that notion. Take your time. Don't get distracted by deciding whether the sofa should go against the far wall or under the window—you'll figure that out later. Your priority is to make sure the house is in the condition you expect. If the seller made repairs and you haven't inspected the work, you might want to ask a professional to walk through with you, to make sure the repairs are complete. Also, bring a camera so you can document any problems.

Tip: If you took photos when you toured the home or during the home inspection, take them along to the final walkthrough. Use them to compare the condition of the home when you made the offer with its current condition.

In all likelihood, the next time you walk through the house, it'll be yours. Make sure it's in the shape you expect by doing a thorough check of all areas of the home, inside and out. Here's a summary of what you're looking for:

Outside the home

• Visually inspect the home's exterior, including the roof, siding, shutters and trim, and so on, looking for any changes since you signed the purchase agreement.
• Inspect the driveway and walkways.
• Check the grounds—are the trees and landscaping the same as when you made the offer?

Interior rooms (general)

• Open, close, and lock/unlock all doors.
• Open, close, and lock/unlock all windows, and check for missing or damaged screens.
• In each room, inspect the ceilings, floors, and walls for physical damage (such as dings, gouges, or scuffs that the seller may have left when he moved out) and water damage (stains, dampness, soft spots).
• Check the cleanliness of any carpets.
• Make sure closets are cleaned out.

Kitchen

• Open the fridge to make sure it works.
• Turn on all the stove's burners and oven.
• Test the light and fan in the range hood.
• Turn on the dishwasher.
• Run the garbage disposal.
• Test any other appliances.
• Run both the hot and cold water in the sink; check for clogged drains and in the cabinet underneath for signs of a leak.

Bathroom

• Run water in sink to check water pressure.
• As the water runs, check under the sink for leaks.
• Turn on faucets in the tub/shower.
• Check for clogged drains.
• Flush toilet.
• Turn on the exhaust fan.

Utility room

• Turn on the washer and dryer.

Garage

• Test the automatic door opener.

Attic and basement

• Look for areas that are damp, wet, musty-smelling, or show visible mold.

Electrical system

• Turn each light switch on and off.
• Turn on ceiling fans and exhaust fans.
• Test electrical outlets.

Heating/cooling system

• Turn up the thermostat a few degrees and make sure the heat comes on.
• If the home has central air conditioning, turn down the thermostat and verify that the air conditioner comes on.

Miscellaneous

• Confirm that all conveyances remain in the home.
• Make sure there's no trash or debris left behind.
• Check that the seller removed all his personal property.
• Check that the seller has made all agreed-upon repairs. Tip: Bring along a list of issues that the home inspector found that weren't serious enough to require repairs. Check that these problems haven't gotten worse since the inspection.
• Ring the doorbell.
• If there's a security system, test it. Tip: Before the final walkthrough, make sure the security service has your phone number as the designated contact. You don't want to set off the alarm and have no way to stop it.
• Make sure you have the owner's manuals for all major appliances (furnace, central air conditioner, and so on).
• Test railings on stairs, decks, and porches to make sure they're firmly attached.
• Check that any built-in shelving is stable.
• If there's a fireplace, make sure it's clean; open and close the flue.

Tip: If the seller has left junk behind on the property, find out how much it would cost to have it hauled away. Ask the seller to put that amount of money into an escrow account and get a written agreement that the seller will remove the junk by a certain date—if not, you can use the escrow money to pay someone to take it away.

Comments

[MC]

The sellers asked to be present when I did the final walkthrough on my house--over 15 years ago.

Of course I was ignorant (it was the first house I ever bought), but what was my real estate agent thinking?!?

It was really weird trying to look for flaws in the house with this older couple dogging my steps and trying to "show" me how to use the dishwasher, etc.

It was a nice house, but I should have made the sellers haul away all the construction materials and junk they left in the garage, laundry room, crawl spaces, under the deck etc. It was really annoying to keep finding piles of 20 year old bathroom tiles and rug pieces stuffed behind cabinets and under the stairs and above rafters in the garage. I probably would have brought it up if I didn't have them following me around everywhere during the walkthrough. Ugh!

[MBTN]

Sometimes in the euphoria of buying a house (particularly if you are a first time buyer), you don't go through the walk-through with a critical eye. That's why checklists like this are a great tool.

[Greg McFarlane]

MC and Money By The Numbers make great points. Buying a house should be a financial transaction like any other. You wouldn't buy a 49¢ can of soda if it had a pinhole leak, so why buy a $200,000 house if it isn't practically perfect?

Remember that if the house isn't in perfect working order, the onus is on the seller to make things right before the sale closes. Once you're in escrow, you're screwed. Don't forget that the seller wants the deal to close every bit as much as you do, if not more so.

[Funny about Money]

Good! Also, bring this list with you when you do the walk-through. When the seller and the seller's agent are hanging over your shoulder, it's hard to stay focused.

To the bathroom/kitchen issue, I'd add this (though you should've done this when your home inspector is there): turn on the showers. Let the water get warm. Then flush a toilet. If the water pressure drops drastically or the temp abruptly gets very hot or very cold, then the house may need to be replumbed...a pricey proposition.

[Kathy F]

I second "Flush the toilets". I did not do this (they looked fine to me) and upon moving in, I found out the toilet in the master bathroom did not work. So I was spending money on Day 1 of owning my condo on fixing the toilet. I think the checklist is great- it hard of to think of everything. Also might want to check to see if smoke detector is working. Plus turn on the showers- great idea. I thought I was missing a showerhead after I moved in. However, I just did not recognize the small European type showerhead design. It only looked like something was missing.