The final walk-through is your last look at the house before you sign, usually 24 hours or less before closing. It is not a second inspection. You are checking three things: that the house is in the condition the contract promised, that the repairs the seller agreed to were done, and that everything that conveys with the house is still there and works.

It takes 30 to 60 minutes. Do it with your agent, in daylight if you can, and with the purchase contract and the repair addendum in your hand. If you find a problem, closing is the last point where you have leverage: once you sign, a broken dishwasher is yours.

What to bring

  • The purchase contract and every addendum

    The contract lists what conveys (appliances, window coverings, fixtures); the repair addendum lists what the seller agreed to fix.

  • The inspection report

    To find each item the seller agreed to repair, and to compare its condition now.

  • The seller's repair receipts

    Ask your agent to get them before the walk-through. "Repaired by a licensed contractor" in the addendum means a receipt.

  • An outlet tester

    Faster and more telling than a phone charger: it shows wiring faults and trips GFCI outlets in the kitchen, baths, garage and outside.

  • A flashlight

    For under sinks, the water heater, the attic hatch and the electrical panel.

  • Your phone, charged

    Photos and video of every room as you found it, with the time stamp. If something is damaged on move-in day, this is your proof of when.

Klein Tools RT210 GFCI and Standard Outlet Tester
Klein Tools

Klein Tools RT210 GFCI and Standard Outlet Tester

Best for: Checking every outlet on the final walk-through

Plug it into each outlet: three lights say whether it is wired right, and the button trips a GFCI the way an inspector does. A phone charger only tells you there is power.

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Room by room

Go through the house in a fixed order so nothing is skipped. Turn things on: a walk-through where you only look finds almost nothing.

  • Agreed repairs are done

    Each line of the repair addendum, checked against the receipts. A repair that was meant to be done by a licensed professional and looks like a weekend fix is worth raising now.

  • Kitchen appliances run

    Oven and every burner, dishwasher through a short cycle, garbage disposal, range hood, refrigerator cold and the ice maker working if it conveys.

  • Water runs and drains

    Every faucet hot and cold, every shower, flush every toilet. Then look under each sink with the flashlight for drips or a wet cabinet floor.

  • Heating and cooling

    Run the heat and the air conditioning for a few minutes each, whatever the season. Check that the thermostat responds.

  • Water heater

    Hot water at the farthest tap, and no water on the floor around the tank.

  • Outlets and switches

    Every switch, and the outlet tester in a sample of outlets in each room and every GFCI outlet.

  • Doors, windows and locks

    Each opens, closes and locks. Garage door opener and its remotes, and every key, fob and gate code the seller should hand over.

  • Walls, floors and ceilings

    Look for damage from the move: gouged floors, holes in walls where things were mounted, new water stains on ceilings.

  • Nothing left behind that should not be

    Belongings, trash, paint cans and old furniture in the garage, basement and yard. Removal is the seller's job unless the contract says otherwise.

  • Everything that conveys is there

    Appliances, light fixtures, ceiling fans, window coverings, the mailbox key: whatever the contract lists, not whatever was there at the showing.

  • Outside

    Sprinklers if there are any, exterior lights, the condition of the yard and any shed or fence named in the contract.

If something is wrong

Tell your agent on the spot and take photos. What happens next is a negotiation, and it has to be in writing, signed by both sides, before you sign the loan documents. There are four usual outcomes:

  • The seller fixes it before closing. Fine for a small item if there is time. Get a receipt and look at it again.
  • A credit or a price reduction. A credit at closing has to be approved by your lender and appear on the Closing Disclosure; a change after the Disclosure is issued can move numbers, but most small credits do not restart the three-day review. Ask your loan officer before you agree. See what can still change after clear to close.
  • An escrow holdback. Part of the seller's proceeds is held by the title or escrow company until the repair is done. Not every lender allows one; ask.
  • Delay the closing. For something serious, such as a new leak, a failed furnace or damage that changes the value. A delay can run past your rate lock, which costs money: see what a lock extension costs.

If the seller refuses to do anything about a real defect the contract covers, you can in principle refuse to close, but walking away can put your earnest money at risk. That is a question for your agent and, if it gets that far, a real estate attorney.

After you sign

Once the keys are yours, the first week has its own list: re-key the locks, check the alarms, find the water shut-off and keep the closing papers safe. That is in the first-week checklist after closing. The whole run from contract to keys is in the mortgage process timeline.

Still inside the inspection window? Start with the home inspection checklist for buyers; the walk-through only checks that what it found was fixed.

Questions buyers ask

Usually within 24 hours of closing, sometimes the morning of closing. Your contract sets the window. If the seller is staying on after closing under a rent-back, do another walk-through on the day they leave.

It is your right under most purchase contracts, not a legal requirement. Skipping it means accepting the house as it is when you sign. Do it.

Yes, if you pay for the visit. It is worth it when the seller made major repairs you cannot judge yourself, such as a roof, electrical or foundation work.

Tell your agent at once. You cannot check a house full of furniture, and the contract usually requires the house to be empty and broom-clean at closing unless a rent-back was agreed.