Your final walkthrough checklist before closing

Arrange access while there is time to respond

Coordinate the timing with your agent and the other parties. Ask whether utilities will be on, whether the seller will have moved out and which spaces you can access. Leave a way to reach your agent or attorney promptly if the condition does not match what you expected.

Carry the contract's relevant provisions, any repair addendum, inspection notes and an easy way to record observations. Make a short list of the specific items that mattered in negotiation. The goal is to assess the agreed condition, rather than trying to conduct an entirely new building inspection under a tight deadline.

Check each agreed repair against its description

Review the promised work one item at a time. Ask for receipts, warranties or other completion evidence when the agreement calls for them. If specialist work was required, a surface-level look may not answer whether it was completed properly; discuss any needed professional follow-up.

In a hypothetical example, the agreement calls for repairing a bathroom leak. Fresh paint alone does not tell you what caused the leak or what was repaired. Record what you can observe, identify the evidence still missing and raise the exact question. Avoid labeling a repair satisfactory simply because a room now looks finished.

Walk through the spaces deliberately

Move through the interior, accessible exterior and any other included areas in a consistent order. Look for visible changes since your earlier visit, such as damage from moving, water where it was previously dry or personal property that should have been removed. Keep observations specific: location, condition and what changed.

Within the access permitted and your own competence, check the included items and normal operation of fixtures you can safely use. Do not open electrical panels, climb onto roofs or attempt hazardous testing. A concern about a system should go to a qualified person. The CFPB's home-inspection guidance explains why independent professional review has a separate role.

Compare what stays with the written agreement

Confirm appliances, fixtures and other included items against the contract and any amendments. Note something missing, substituted or newly damaged. Ask how keys, garage remotes, entry codes and other access items will be handed over when possession is authorized.

Also identify any remaining practical questions about the handover. An instruction manual or spare remote can be useful, but distinguish a courtesy request from a contractual requirement. Your agent or attorney should address the agreement; the closing team needs to know when an unresolved issue could affect the transaction or final figures.

Report a problem before making a closing decision

Tell your agent and attorney promptly, using photographs or a concise written description where appropriate. Explain which written term or prior condition concerns you. Do not privately change the price, hold back money, or assume a verbal promise will be incorporated into the closing documents.

A proposed solution may require agreement among parties and lender review. Any credit, repair arrangement or date change should be handled through the responsible professionals and reflected accurately in the documents when required. Our Closing Disclosure guide helps you review revised figures without assuming every update has the same effect.

Once the issue is resolved or a documented plan is agreed, return to your purchase-closing preparation. Use what to bring to closing for the appointment itself. The walkthrough earns its place in the process by surfacing a practical problem while the right people can still address it.