Tips For Home Buyers During A Walk-Through

The home buying process is not always easy.  The troubles however seem to disappear when the walk-through is scheduled.  A walk through happens at the end of the buying process.  The mortgage has been secured, the home inspected and a contract agreed upon; now all that needs to happen is a final walk through and the actual closing. 

 A walk-through is done by the buyer of the home and the real estate agent representing the buyer.  It is a time to explore the home that is soon to be yours.  You will be looking to make sure that the home is in the condition stated within the agreed upon contract. 

 When Buyers Should Schedule a Final Walk-Through:  A walk through should be scheduled within the last twenty four hours before closing on the home.  You want to wait until the last possible moment to do a final walk through to ensure that the home is left in the agreed upon condition.  

 If there is any damage, natural or seller induced, not addressed before closing they become your responsibility.  This is true even if the damage has happened before you technically own the home.  If the damage is not dealt with before you sign on the dotted line it becomes your issue to deal with.   

 If there were any repairs that were contracted to be made before closing you may want to schedule two walk-through appointments.  This will allow you to look at the repairs that were done and make sure they were done to your specifications.  If something is incorrect with the repairs or the contract isn't fulfilled as stated it gives the buyer and seller time to resolve the issues.  

 What Can Home Buyers Expect During the Walk-Through Process:   Often buyers are disappointed at first upon the final walk-through.  Most contracts don't state that the home must be left pristine.  Most of the time the home is clear of the previous owners mess but not necessarily cleaned to the buyers "deep-clean" specifications.  

 Regardless of how surface clean the home is here are the things that you should really be examining during the walk-though:

 Check on all the agreed upon items within the contract that needed to be fixed or left behind for the new buyer.  If the swing set, appliances or such are missing and they have been written into the contract that is an issue that needs to be addressed in writing before the home is closed on.

 Test appliances throughout the home and make sure they are in working order.  This also means that you should test the central heating and air conditioning systems to ensure that everything is in working order.

 Test outlets throughout the home with an inexpensive electrical tester to test for power.  Check all flagged items within the home inspection and contract.

 If A Problem Is Found What Should Home Buyers Do: If an issue is found and it is outside the normal range of expense excepted when moving into a new home it is time to that you and the buyer's agent contact the sellers agent to negotiate a proper solution to the problem.  If a solution can't be found and the problem is extreme you can stop the closing process.  Consider the cost of delaying the closing as well as legal fees to determine if the issue is worth pursuing or if you as the buyer can resolve the issue on their own.