Tips for an Effective Final Walk-Through

Buying a home at the Lake of the Ozarks is such an exciting process! Your dream home is finally becoming a reality, and you can't wait to close and begin moving in. Your excitement and impatience is certainly understandable (and completely warranted), but it's important to make sure you're giving appropriate time and attention to each step of the home buying process.

One of those crucial steps is the final walk-through. The final walk-through is an inspection performed by you, the home buyer, a few days (or a few hours) before closing to make sure everything in the home is in the condition you agreed upon with the seller - that agreed-upon repairs have been made and that no new damages have occurred. You don't want to be caught with any unpleasant surprises!

As with most steps in the process of purchasing a Lake of the Ozarks home, there are certain tips and tricks you can use to make your walk-through more thorough and more effective. Here are some of the tricks I've learned as an experienced Realtor at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Bring your paperwork. All of it. Bring your contract, the home inspection report, and the seller's property condition disclosure form. You won't be able to address issues that were already identified and agreed upon in the paperwork, so having these documents along to refer back to is a good idea.

Check the lights. Flip on all of the lights (and the ceiling fans) in the house to make sure they're all working properly. If you want to be extremely thorough, you can bring something to plug into all of the outlets to make sure they work as well.

Test the appliances. Double-check that the air conditioning, heater, oven, refrigerator, water softener, dishwasher, and any other appliances included in the contract are functioning.

Check the walls and floors for any new damage. If the previous owners had not yet moved out when you first toured the home, they could have left some scratches or scuffs on the walls or floors as they moved their belongings out of the house.

Test the water flow. Turn on all of the faucets, flush the toilets, and run the water in the showers and bathtubs. If the refrigerator has a water/ice dispenser, you can test that too. 

Take stock of what's in the home. Did the previous owners leave things behind that were not specified in the contract? If the items were not included in the contract (and you don't want them), you can require that the sellers remove them before closing.

Perform an overall sanity-check. The final walk-through is your opportunity to make sure everything is as you expected it to be. Walk through the home (and around the yard) one last time before you close to make sure that everything is as it was when you last saw it or as you and the seller agreed that it would be.

If you do it right, the final walk-through will ensure that you aren't stuck with any unpleasant surprises after you close on the home. Your Lake of the Ozarks Realtor will most likely be present during the final walk-through, so feel free to ask him/her for suggestions during the walk-through. 

Looking for a new home at the Lake of the Ozarks? I would love to help you find your dream home! Contact my office to get started today. 

Susan Spica, Professional Realtor

BerkShire Hathaway HomeServices
101 Crossings West, Ste. 202
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Office: (573) 365-6868
Susan's Cell: (573) 280-0484
Gina's Cell: (573) 889-9477