Common Mistakes Buyers Make At The Final Walkthrough

When you have located the perfect house to purchase and have gone through the inspections, financing and appraisal processes then just before you close you will need to conduct the final walkthrough. This next to last step is to make sure you view the home and confirm that it is in proper working order and the sellers have left what they should have – nothing more, nothing less. However, there are some common mistakes to avoid that buyers make at the walkthrough. Here are some of them.

Arriving early

While you may be excited to visit the home again and of course being late is not great you don’t want to show up early to the walkthrough. Moving requires a lot and sellers may be in need of every minute to prepare the home including cleaning. The walkthrough is always scheduled to be as close to the actual closing as possible but sometimes there are larger gaps.

Not bringing your agent

No two deals are alike and sometimes there are gray areas that leave things in question. This is where you want to have your agent by your side to guide you through this step. Your agent will also help review the home to ensure everything is as it should be per your agreement. 

Measuring and planning 

The sole purpose of this step is to make sure that the home is in proper condition and that everything is as it should be per the purchase agreement. All parties agree to allot time for this to be completed. This is not the time to do additional measurements for furniture or the like to decide what fits or doesn’t.

Not bringing the purchase and sale doc

This is important especially to confirm that any and all items that were discussed to be done were completed. It is common to have a few things come up during the inspection and then sometimes have to negotiate into the contract. This checklist should be on you during the walkthrough.

Not checking for damage

Sometimes buyers are focused on the items that were supposed to be completed instead of doing a general review of the home for damage. Even if sellers have hired professional movers there could still be some moving related items that require repair. 

Checking for additional repairs

If there is a moving related issue or something that wasn’t there before then that is one thing, but the final walkthrough is not the time to look for additional items to further negotiate. Your opportunity to audit needed repairs is during the home inspection, not the walkthrough. Additionally, especially in a seller’s market it is not wise to delay a closing for any of these reasons as the sellers may have