The final walkthrough is your chance to compare the home you are about to receive with the one you agreed to buy. Bring the purchase agreement, the repair terms and a short list of anything you need to confirm. In each room, ask one simple question: does what I am looking at match what was promised?
Schedule the visit early enough that there is time to fix a problem before the closing steps that depend on it. The timing, the condition the home must be in and the possession arrangements all come from your contract documents. A last-minute visit is worth much less if the person who can answer a repair question is not available.
Bring the agreement, not just your memory
Bring the signed purchase agreement, any amendments, the written repair agreement and whatever completion records you have. Photos from the inspection help you find the exact spot you meant to check.
Make a short checklist before you arrive. For each item, write down what was agreed, what proof you expect to see and who can answer a question that is still open. For example:
| Item | What to compare at the visit |
|---|---|
| A leak the seller agreed to repair | The agreed scope of work, the completion record, any specialist’s findings, and the spot where the leak showed up if you can get to it. |
| A refrigerator that stays with the home | The appliance in the kitchen against the description or model listed in the agreement. |
| A damaged door the seller agreed to repair | How it looks and works now, against the agreed work. |
| Belongings the seller agreed to remove | The places they were stored and what the contract says about removing them. |
The CFPB’s closing guidance recommends a final walkthrough to check the agreed repairs and the items the seller promised to leave. Your own list turns that advice into something you can use room by room.
Check the repairs, including what you cannot see
Start with the written repair agreement. Note the work it requires and any specialist, permit, invoice, warranty or follow-up inspection the seller promised. The completion records should show how each of those was met.
A walkthrough has limits. Looking at a freshly painted ceiling does not tell you whether the plumbing problem behind it was fixed. If only a plumber, roofer or another qualified professional can confirm the result, arrange that visit and read the findings. Keep the repair record together with any permit or inspection paperwork.
Take a made-up example. The seller agreed to fix a shower leak and repair the ceiling damage it caused. The ceiling looks newly painted, but the buyer has been given only a painting invoice. The question is whether the leak itself was fixed and how anyone confirmed it. The painting invoice covers only part of the agreement.
Also look for anything that has changed since the inspection: a fresh stain, new damage around a repaired area, or something you cannot test because a utility is off. Write down what you see, take photos where they help, and work out who can confirm the condition or explain what is missing. For the inspection and negotiation stage that comes before this, see our home inspection buyer guide.
Check the home after the move-out
Once the furniture is gone, you can see walls and floors that were hidden before. Walk through every room you can get into, plus the garage, the outdoor areas and any storage that comes with the purchase. Compare what you see with your agreement and with what you saw at the inspection.
Check the things you will use every day: the doors and windows you can reach, the lights, the fixtures and the appliances that stay. Ask that the utilities stay on through the agreed verification period. Test only what is safe to test. Leave the technical systems, the spaces you cannot reach and anything that might be hazardous to the right professional.
Go through the included items on their own. A listing photo can raise a question, but the signed agreement decides what stays. If a particular appliance or fixture mattered to your offer, check that exact item; do not assume a replacement is just as good. For equipment that is leased or tied to a service account, such as solar panels or a security system, find out who owns it, which agreement covers it and what has to happen before you can use it after closing. Confirm the transfer arrangements in the transaction records.
For a condo, also check the parking space, storage and access devices that go with the unit, where it has them. Walking the unit does not settle unfinished association documents, the lender’s questions about the building or shared-building obligations. Keep those on the closing list too.
If something is wrong, work out what to do before you rush
Tell your broker right away, with a clear description and photos where they help. Sort out which kind of problem it is: a missing document, unfinished work, new damage, or a disagreement about what was included. Each one calls for a different response.
Then work out what can reasonably happen before closing: getting the promised paperwork, finishing the work, having it inspected, or negotiating a written change. A repair credit or any other money arrangement has to fit the lender’s requirements and be properly documented with escrow. A handshake promise to pay later leaves the important terms open.
The walkthrough by itself does not give you a new right to cancel, and it does not decide what happens to your deposit. Read the agreement, the rights you still have and the deadlines before you decide whether to go forward, ask for a change or take another step under the contract. If the two sides disagree about those rights, get legal advice promptly.
I would rather help a buyer settle one specific question than turn a short list of problems into a whole new negotiation. The goal is to know what you are getting, what still has to be done and what any signed resolution requires.
Plan the key handoff and possession separately
Confirm when you are entitled to possession and how you will get the keys, garage remotes, gate devices, mailbox keys and anything else that was agreed. Once possession is yours, set up your own accounts and make your own security changes. Do not rely on someone else’s saved device access or passwords.
If the seller is staying on after closing, the walkthrough before closing and the handoff when they move out do two different jobs. Record the condition you agreed on now, and use the signed occupancy agreement to plan the second handoff: access, who is responsible for what, and any deposit the agreement allows. Our seller rent-back guide explains the occupancy terms to settle before you agree to let the seller stay.
Before you leave, give every open item a person, a next step and a deadline tied to the closing. Keep the supporting documents with the closing records. That beats an unsigned list of things everyone assumes someone else will handle.
Common questions
When should I do the final walkthrough?
Follow your contract’s verification terms and schedule the visit so there is real time to resolve questions before the closing steps that depend on it. If repairs or the move-out are still going on, agree on what gets checked later. There is no single timing rule that fits every sale.
Do I need an inspector to come back?
Bring back the right professional when a repair or a condition needs technical confirmation. A broker or a buyer can check something in plain view and organize the paperwork, but that is no substitute for a specialist looking at hidden or technical work.
What if an appliance that was supposed to stay is missing?
Check the agreement and raise the missing item right away. Have the people handling the transaction deal with it, and put the agreed fix in writing before you treat it as settled.
Can we handle an unfinished repair with a credit?
Sometimes a negotiated credit works, but confirm the lender’s requirements, what the credit may be used for and how escrow will document it. Some conditions have to be fixed before the loan can fund. The amount and the arrangement need to solve the real problem.
Does signing loan documents mean I have possession?
Not on its own. Follow the possession terms in the purchase agreement and confirm with escrow where the closing stands. Signing, funding, recording and the agreed handoff are separate steps that have to be coordinated.