KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN DURING WALK-THROUGH

You've come a long way since you first started looking at
homes for sale; you've muddled through the mortgage
process, negotiated glaring inspection issues, packed up
everything except the dog and the closing day has finally
arrived. You have a lot on your mind as you are walking
through "your" house prior to meeting at the attorney's office to seal the deal. The last thing you want to do is
miss something on the final walk-through. The purpose of the walk-through is to be sure that the house is in the same condition it was in the day you first saw it.

Your agent will have the list of what stays and what goes that is part of your Sales Contract, so you have an extra set of eyes as you walk through the home. You and your agent will be looking for things such as:

• Completed repairs. Be sure to ask for receipts and warranties, if any.
• Anything the seller said could stay such as draperies, playground equipment or a hot tub.
• Verify that all the appliances are still in working order if they were to be per contract.
• Garage door openers are available
• All instruction booklets and corresponding warranties are there
  
  
  But in the thrill of the moment, you may miss  something a bit less obvious such as:
  
  
• Light bulbs, switchplates and outlet covers (yes, sellers have been know to take these things!)
• Plants, shrubs or small trees from the yard
• Lighting fixtures that have been swapped out for a cheaper version
• Damage to walls as furniture was being moved out
• Gouges in the hardwood floors due to furniture being moved out
• Personal items, debris or those 13 near-empty paint cans you asked to have removed
• Dog feces in the yard

If there are any issues that arise during the final walk-through, your agent will bring them to the attention of the agent ahead of the closing to give the seller the opportunity to rectify the situation. If you do the walk-through just prior to the closing, your agent will bring it to the attention of the attorneys at the closing and negotiate on your behalf to have them corrrected. Since all the paperwork has already been drawn up at that point, it may mean that the seller write you a personal check to cover the cost of repairs or replacements. 

So keep your eyes wide open during the final walk-through and ejoy your new home!