Final walkthrough a buyer's best friend

Imagine this. You move into your new home for the first time after closing and, although you transferred the utilities into your name, the lights don't turn on. There isn't a single light bulb left in the house, the yard is overgrown and the leaky faucets the sellers were to have fixed still leak.

Most homebuyers aren't faced with such an unpleasant surprise. You can gain some degree of control over the situation by completing a walkthrough inspection of the property within five days of closing.

Your purchase contract should include a clause that grants the buyers permission to do a final walkthrough inspection sometime close to the closing date. A final walkthrough provides the buyers an opportunity to verify that the property is in substantially the same condition it was when the sellers accepted their offer. The walkthrough is not a contingency of the contract that gives the buyers the right of approval or disapproval.

Your purchase contract should require the sellers to maintain the property in its present condition until closing. So, if a window breaks before closing, the sellers would be responsible for fixing it, depending on the verbiage in the contract.

During the walkthrough, the buyers can also confirm the completion of any work the seller agreed to do before closing. Ask the sellers to provide you copies of invoices for work done before closing. Keep these documents in your house file for future reference. If sellers made repairs themselves, they should provide an itemization of work completed that describes what they did.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: It's a good idea to have your real estate agent accompany you on the final walkthrough and take notes as necessary. If the property isn't in the same condition it was when you agreed to buy it, put this in writing and have your real estate agent contact the sellers' agent to inform them of the items remaining to be done before closing. ...CONTINUED

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