What happens at the final walk-through when you're buying a home?

Hopefully? Absolutely nothing interesting. The sellers have moved out. The property is in the condition you expect. Anything they agreed to repair has been completed. The items that were supposed to stay are still there, the things that were supposed to go are gone, and we head off to closing.

A boring final walk-through is a wonderful final walk-through. But occasionally, we open the door and discover that something isn't quite right. That's why we do it.

What Is the Final Walk-Through?

The final walk-through is your opportunity to see the property shortly before closing and make sure it's being delivered in the condition required by your agreement.

The standard Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® Purchase and Sale Agreement, for example, provides that the property be delivered free of occupants and personal property except for items included in the sale or permitted tenants, broom clean and in the same condition as agreed, reasonable wear and tear excepted. It also gives the buyer the right to enter shortly before closing to determine whether those requirements have been met.

Your particular P&S may contain different or additional language, so your own contract controls. The walk-through is generally scheduled close to closing, often within a day or so beforehand.

Is This Another Home Inspection?

No. You're not starting the inspection process over again or looking for an opportunity to renegotiate the house based on ordinary conditions that were present when you agreed to buy it.

Instead, we're looking for things such as whether the property's condition has materially changed, whether the seller has moved out as required, whether agreed-upon personal property remains, whether unwanted personal property has been removed and whether agreed-upon repair items appear to have been addressed.

We're essentially asking: Is the seller delivering the property we agreed you would receive?

Yes, the Seller Really Does Need to Move Out

This sounds obvious, but it isn't always.

We've arrived at final walk-throughs and discovered that a seller didn't realize they were expected to be completely out of the property by closing.

Furniture remains. Boxes remain. The moving truck isn't coming until tomorrow. Or the seller explains that they'll "just come back this weekend" for the rest. That can create a significant problem.

Unless the parties have agreed otherwise, a typical sale isn't "We'll give you the deed today and finish moving out when we get a chance." If the seller can't deliver possession as required by the P&S, the attorneys and parties may need to determine how to proceed. Depending on the circumstances and the agreement, that could involve delaying the closing or negotiating another solution, such as holding back funds until the seller's obligations have been completed.

That's something to resolve before you close.

"Personal Property Removed" Means More Than Furniture

Another surprisingly common walk-through issue is leftover stuff. Sometimes it's obvious: furniture, boxes, bags of clothing or a garage full of things the seller decided not to move.

Sometimes it's the less glamorous collection that accumulates after years of homeownership:

• Old paint cans.
• Chemicals.
• Building materials.
• Broken lawn equipment.
• Mystery containers in the basement.
• The things everyone has been carefully ignoring in the back corner of the garage since approximately 2007.

If the seller is required to remove personal property, you shouldn't assume that you're now responsible for disposing of whatever they didn't want to take with them. If something has been left behind that shouldn't be there, point it out.

An Empty House Can Reveal Things You Couldn't See Before

This is another reason the final walk-through matters. Furniture, rugs, boxes and belongings may have covered parts of the property during your previous visits. Once everything has been removed, you can suddenly see areas that weren't visible before.

Most of the time, there's nothing remarkable. Occasionally, there is.

The question isn't automatically, "Can we renegotiate the house?"The question is: "Is this consistent with what the seller is required to deliver under our agreement?" If you're concerned, say something. Your attorney can advise you about the contractual implications and available options.

What About Repairs the Seller Agreed to Make?

If inspection negotiations resulted in the seller agreeing to complete certain work, we've generally been following up on those items before the final walk-through. We may have requested receipts or other documentation, depending on what was agreed upon. At the walk-through, we'll also want to see that the agreed-upon work appears to have been completed.

This is an important distinction: We're checking the work that was agreed upon, not creating a new repair list. If something the seller specifically agreed to do hasn't been done, however, we need to know.

What Else Should We Look At?

We'll pay attention to the property generally and compare what we're seeing with what we know about the transaction.

• Are the appliances and other items included in the sale still there?
• Did the seller remove something that was supposed to remain?
• Has there been obvious damage since your last visit?
• Is the property sufficiently cleared out?
• Are agreed-upon repairs complete?

If circumstances allow, we may check basic items to make sure there hasn't been an obvious change in condition. You don't need to arrive carrying a clipboard and a 147-point inspection checklist. But you do want to look at the house, rather than spending the entire walk-through discussing where the sofa will go. There will be plenty of time for that after it's yours.

What If We Find a Problem?

First: Say something. Please don't decide that you don't want to be difficult or that you'll deal with it after closing.

Tell us.

Finding a problem doesn't necessarily mean the transaction falls apart. Often there is a practical solution. Depending on the problem and the terms of the contract, the agents and attorneys may be able to work through an appropriate resolution. That might involve having something removed or corrected before closing, delaying the closing, or negotiating a written arrangement such as a holdback of funds while an outstanding obligation is completed.

Exactly what remedies are available is a legal question for your attorney and depends on your agreement and the circumstances. But the important thing from the buyer's perspective is much simpler: We can't address a problem we don't know about.

Why Is It So Important to Speak Up Before Closing?

Because closing changes things. Once the deed has been delivered and recorded and the property belongs to you, resolving an issue may be considerably more complicated.

The MAR standard P&S illustrates why timing matters. It provides that acceptance of the deed generally constitutes full performance by the seller and releases the seller from duties and obligations under the agreement, except for obligations specifically intended to survive closing.

Your own P&S may be different, and your attorney should advise you about your legal rights. But as a practical matter:

Before closing is a much better time to raise a concern than after closing. If something doesn't look right, say something.

What Happens If Everything Looks Fine?

This is our preferred version!

We walk through the property. The seller is out. The house is appropriately cleared. The agreed-upon items are there. The repair items have been addressed. Nothing unexpected has happened.

And we say: "Looks good. Let's go close." Then we let the attorneys finish their work, the documents get signed, the funds and deed are handled as required, and eventually the home officially becomes yours.

That's the final walk-through we're hoping for every time, where nothing interesting happens at all.