Before You Close: One Final Look At The Home

The days just before the closing are an exciting time. Buyers may have waited weeks for the day when papers making them the owners of a home are signed. Before that happens, though, one final task needs to be crossed off your list. Read on to learn more about the final home walk-through before closing.

What a Walk-through Should Include

A few days before your closing is scheduled, ask your real estate agent for access to the home and take look around. Make a list of the below things to check for and let your agent know right away if you find a major problem.

Are Repairs Done?

Sometimes, the home inspection finds problems with the home that the seller agrees to take care of before the closing. Some of these issues are minor but some of them could be extensive. Before you tour the home one last time, make a note of the repairs that were supposed to have been accomplished by the seller and check them off your list as you go from room to room as well as the exterior of the home. Take note: in cases with complex issues, consider having another professional inspection performed.

Don't Be Picky

Buyers should not consider this last-minute tour to be an inspection, however. The time for identifying issues and bringing them to the attention of the seller is long past. If you spot any new issues that you should have seen earlier, you have two options. You can either contact the seller and see if something can be done or you can go ahead with the closing and take care of them on your own. Talk to your real estate agent about old issues that are new to you.

Don't Accept the Home As-Is

On the other hand, vacant homes can be prone to their own unique problems and the walk-through is a good time to catch them. Until you take ownership of the home at the closing, the sellers are responsible for it. That means the seller needs to cope with the below issues that can plague vacant homes:

• Damage done by intruders, such as theft and vandalism to the property.
• Damage caused by water leaks, such as burst pipes, a faucet left dripping, or an open window.
• More serious damage caused by fire or flooding.
• Pest issues that were not present previously (termites, for example).

For more help with your final walk-through, speak to a residential real estate agent.