The “final walk-through” is a part of the standard Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors®’ purchase contract.
Walk-throughs aren’t home inspections but the final opportunity for buyers to make sure the purchased property is in the same condition as when they wrote the contract. Lately, lots of buyers are skipping or removing the clause to make their purchase contracts more appealing.
Skipping the final walk-through is a big mistake.
Empty homes are enemy number one on my list. Some sellers vacate weeks before closing. Leaky faucets, temperamental hot water heaters, and sump pumps left without power often create problems. During the final walk-through issues can be caught and addressed before closing.
What you see is what you get.
The seller included an awesome french door stainless steel state-of-the-art refrigerator as part of the deal. However, during the walk-through, you discover the awesome fridge is gone and an older model was substituted. Or the giant hole in the wall previously covered by a bookcase and never disclosed. My least favorite is piles of stuff/junk left behind for the buyer to handle at their expense.
Skip the final walk-through and the cost of fixing the issues belongs to you.
Dealing with issues before the closing is much more effective than trying to get repairs and replacements from sellers with a closing check in hand. It’s often easier to negotiate an equitable settlement over legitimate problems before the actual closing.
