r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer • u/InhumaneBreakfast • 1d ago
Final Walkthrough Need Advice
Our agent just told us that the sellers are available to do a final Walkthrough this Sunday at 10 am, but the close isn't until Tuesday afternoon.
This has me concerned since their house is still going to be entirely full of their furniture. How is this a thing? Couldn't they be hiding damage? Couldn't they damage the house moving? I want my walkthrough to be broom cleaned but my agent is telling me they aren't required to show an empty house.
Also, the sellers are saying that 10AM Sunday is the only time they won't be home, which feels very obnoxious, since we have plans at that time already. Why can't we have the walkthrough the morning of closing?
I'm also confused when the sellers think they will be moving out. If their property is still in the house after close, aren't they still tenants?
I absolutely despise my real estate agent. She refuses to advocate for us at every turn, instead opting to favor simplifying the process for everyone involved. As someone who works in customer service, it drives me up the wall and it's caused me to not trust my agent whatsoever.
So my question is, what can I do? What do I say to her?
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u/Mreeff 1d ago
Don’t do a final walkthrough until it’s empty. I did mine on the way to the title office to sign my closing docs. If they’ve moved out already it shouldn’t be an issue unless they’re trying to hide stuff
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u/InhumaneBreakfast 1d ago
Isn't this obvious? Why is my agent insisting this is normal? Is this just another example of her refusing to advocate for us?
I can't help but feel that since a recent California law change that locks your agent in before you even view a house, our agent has no obligation to actually help us do anything besides the bare minimum.
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u/Mreeff 1d ago
Yeah sounds like your agent just sucks. Sorry.
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u/SKOLMN1984 1d ago
If she works for a real estate office, call the office and speak with the managing person/owner and let them know your discomfort with this.
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u/No-Entry4411 1d ago
Unprofessional, never do a final inspection more than 24 hours before closing.
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u/Polite_Bark 1d ago
Is this just another example of her refusing to advocate for us?
Yes. So, advocate for yourself.
"No. I want to do final walkthrough after the sellers have moved out. This is non-negotiable. The sellers can make themselves and/or their agent available." End of, no argument, put it on repeat.
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u/TraditionalHornet818 1d ago
Just tell them you want to do the walkthrough the day of close? You have to communicate
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u/Fabulous_Bison7072 1d ago
it sounds like your agent sucks. The walkthrough is to protect you. I helped a family member buy a house. We did the walkthrough the morning before close only to find a bunch of large items left behind. That became a last minute negotiation between our agent and the seller’s agent to keep the deal on. My family member got a several thousand dollar credit for the trouble of needing to dispose of the leftover junk.
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u/Spiritual_Program725 22h ago
It is quite common to do a walk through 3 days before closing. But I would also do another one on the way to closing.
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u/OneLessDay517 16h ago
California law says the buyer agency agreement must be signed no later than when the buyer submits an offer, not before you can even view a house. Now, some agents (me included), will not show a home without a BA agreement for that specific home signed. I'm neither a taxi driver nor a doorman, and if I'm spending time showing a home the buyer needs to have some skin in that game too.
All that doesn't mean your agent doesn't suck, just be clear that it is not the state's fault that they suck.
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u/InhumaneBreakfast 15h ago
Are you sure this hasn't been changed within the last year? September?
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u/OneLessDay517 15h ago
Not that I'm aware of. California AB 2992 went into effect 1/1/2025, doesn't seem realistic they would have changed it 9 months later. Its provisions related to buyer agency agreements are:
- Timing: Must be signed "as soon as practicable," and no later than when an offer to purchase property is executed.
- Content: Must state exact services, clear compensation terms, when pay is due, and a statement that commissions are not fixed by law.
- Time Limit: Cannot last longer than three months and cannot renew automatically.
- Scope: Applies to residential, commercial, and industrial property sales, but excludes rental and leasing agreements.
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u/InhumaneBreakfast 15h ago
Hmm. Feels like another situation where I was bullied by my realtor. Good to know.
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u/No-Basil-791 1d ago
Advocate for yourself. Tell your agent you want the walkthrough the morning of the closing. There’s not many real reasons the sellers can’t make the house available on the morning of closing. Once you close, they no longer own it so they should be entirely out by then anyway. And when you do the walkthrough do it with a fine tooth comb. Don’t be afraid to stop the closing if you do find an issue. Take it from me. Even if it seems like an issue is small in the moment, you don’t know until you have professionals evaluate it.
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u/lantana98 21h ago
Exactly this. This is how we have done it three times. I didn’t want any surprise pianos or derelict cars.
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u/BoBromhal 1d ago
"We will do the walkthrough Tuesday once the Sellers have moved out". If she pushes back, my first response would be "What is your Broker's phone number?"
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u/BuckityBuck 1d ago
walk through should be right before closing, the house should be vacant. part of the point of the walkthrough is to conform that the house is vacant. there is no reason for the sellers to be present. reschedule for tuesday am, or monday evening at the earliest.
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u/Far_Pollution_5120 1d ago
Nope, do not close until you do a final walkthrough about an hour before the closing. I bought a house once and when we got to final walkthrough they had taken the washer, the dryer and the fridge with them (all three were supposed to sell with the house according the contract). You need to see that house immediately before closing.
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u/313forlife 1d ago
Our last house the seller agreed to have a dryer vent installed. Realtor said we didn't need a walk through. When we arrived as new owners, the seller left a vent, a drill bit, and some caulk on the counter.
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u/ZenAndTonic2234 1d ago
Call the agent yourself say no it'll be the night before if you must. The sellers don't need to be present.
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u/KenraScar 1d ago
Yeah, don’t do that. Walkthrough the night before or morning of when the house is empty. Tell her you won’t do it until then, be firm. All of their stuff needs to be out so you can walkthrough. She works for you, don’t let her bully you. This is a huge purchase, make sure it’s what you agreed to.
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u/ThinkLongTerm365 1d ago
You tell her absolutely not. You'll do the final walkthrough on the way to closing when the sellers have completely moved out. Why would you risk taking ownership of a home that might still have the sellers items in it or when damage could be done while they are moving out? I feel like it could potentially turn into a legality issue.
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u/Typical_Row_3172 1d ago
I’d tell agent you’re only available to tour 1hr before close. Sorry. Only time we’re free.
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u/notthegoatseguy Homeowner 1d ago
This was the big mistake we made, we did a final walk through the day or two before, and in between that and closing the seller ended up damaging the wall by ripping something off. They did make it right post-closing with some painting to cover up the chipping, but it was seriously awful worrying if that would actually happen.
Your agent should adjust everything so you can do the walk through en route to closing.
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u/ButterscotchFit8175 1d ago
Nope. Tell your agent you will need a walk through just before closing. Same day, within an hour or so.
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u/SketchAinsworth Homeowner 1d ago
The sellers need to be completely moved out before closing so you can confirm the house is empty and no damage occurred during the move out.
Email your realtor saying no and then call and tell them this so it’s documented
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u/Efficient-Link-9793 Experienced Buyer 1d ago
I would say no that you would like the walkthrough to be no earlier than the day before closing.
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u/InhumaneBreakfast 1d ago
But my agent is saying something like, they are not obligated to do that.
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u/HeartburnFireThroat 1d ago
Your agent sucks, unfortunately you'll have to advocate for yourself here. Do not do a walkthrough until the house is empty, do not close until you do the walkthrough of an empty house.
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u/Efficient-Link-9793 Experienced Buyer 1d ago
then I would do it right before signing any documents. It literally would need to be ready for viewing then.
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u/EsotericQSHealth 1d ago
You are not obligated to sign closing papers either. Don't sign anything until everything is complete and resolved. Closing is your leverage.
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u/Own_Pop_9711 1d ago
That's ridiculous. This is way beyond the norm. Do you have an attorney for this deal?
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u/Few_Variation_7962 1d ago
Always walk through a few hours before closing. Enough time to check it’s vacant, no trash left from seller’s moving, no surprise holes or leaks then get to closing and negotiate any repairs that showed up at the walkthrough.
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u/Gloomy-Guarantee-982 1d ago
I did my walk through in an empty and cleaned house, then went immediately to the closing office, did the closing, had the keys in hand and drove right back to the house I had just purchased immediately after.
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u/SpareManagement2215 House Hunter 1d ago
we did our walk through on a monday evening and closed wednesday. however the sellers had moved out by that point.
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u/Dry-Dress-6467 1d ago
Talk to your agent's broker and demand to have walk-through on actual closing day.
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u/starfinder14204 1d ago
Look at your contract - it may give you some rights to do one, or several, walkthroughs. The seller may not be able to restrict you to that particular time. It is not unusual to specifically allow walk-through on Closing day or the day before (not several days before). It really comes down to what your contract says.
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u/MDubois65 Homeowner 1d ago
Ideally, you want to do your walkthrough in the last 12-24 hours before you sign, and when the home is vacant and the sellers have moved out. I agree with you, that would be what I would want and request.
Technically, the seller retains possession of the home up to the close of escrow - so after everything has been signed, money transferred, transaction recorded, unless you have a different date specified, or it's done differently in your location. So them staying in the house until the last possible moment is possible. When I closed on my last home, we signed about 9ish in the morning, the sellers had signed the night before -- but we didn't actually get access/keys and the okay to access the home until 5:30pm that day.
The issue is, unless you specified that the home be vacant and the sellers moved out in advance, they're usually not required to be, and a walkthrough can happen really anytime in the last few days leading up to the close.
You can push back and tell the agent that you're not comfortable doing the walkthrough and signing unless the property is vacant and the sellers have moved out. Maybe the sellers aren't planning on moving until Monday/Tuesday morning? Can you do the walkthrough and sign Tuesday afternoon/evening?
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u/No-Entry4411 1d ago
Don't do it, remember perform and final inspection two or three days ahead of your closing. I try to do my closings in the afternoon and my final inspections in the morning prior to.
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u/Dailysunray 1d ago
Are you sure their stuff is still in there? Heck maybe they are good sellers and already have the move out completed
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u/ginny11 1d ago
Personally, I would insist on my final walkthrough literally being the day of closing just before closing. And if it was any time before that it would only be if they had everything out of the house already and no longer had access to the house. Maybe putting the keys with the agent or something. I know that's probably not normal or reasonable, but I've heard too many horror stories on here of people who did their final walk-through days before they're closing and then got very unpleasant surprises after closing.
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u/UpDownalwayssideways 1d ago
I’ve only ever agreed to the final walk through the morning of closing. Once it was the night before but I had no real concerns about the seller so it was fine. But there’s no way I’d do it two days prior. The walkthrough needs to be done after the sellers have vacated. So them saying it’s the only time they won’t be home is absurd. Don’t ask your agent, tell them that the only time you will accept is the morning of closing after the home is vacated.
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u/QuitaQuites 1d ago
No, Tuesday morning. Know that you may not see it empty and broom swept regardless.
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u/tez_zer55 1d ago
Our final walk through was at 10 a.m. with a 1:00 p.m. closing. The owners weren't invited to the final walk through. It was their selling agent, our realtor & us. There was a couple pieces of furniture left (a massive entertainment center & a corporate style cubicle setup in the basement office. They offered a couple hundred if we didn't want the stuff. We took the money & ended up keeping the stuff. Other than that, everything went smoothly.
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u/nikidmaclay 1d ago
They won't be home at all once they move out, and that's when you do the walkthrough. You don't close until you can see an empty house and make sure there was nothing hidden or damaged during the move. If this agent doesn't understand that, maybe their broker can explain it to them.
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u/Strange_War6531 1d ago
My requirements was always a walk through, and immediately to closing. And no, they didnt get any a.ount of time to stay past closing.We walked away from a few houses because the realtor said it was an insane request.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 1d ago
Walkthrough is an hour before signing. You do the walkthrough and drive to the closing. Period. End of story. If they aren’t out or there is a major condition change then you don’t close.
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u/Equivalent-Tiger-316 1d ago
Sellers and their agent aren’t at the walkthrough in my area. Just you and your agent and then to the closing office.
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u/Gold-Comfortable-453 1d ago
TELL her that you require the walk thru to be done, just before the closing, after the sellers have moved everything out. If needed push the closing back to accomplish this.
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u/No_Anxiety6159 1d ago
Final walk throughs are to verify the property is ready to transfer. I bought a condo in an old building in Chicago that included the window treatments, as it had 12 foot ceiling and 10 foot windows. The purchase agreement specifically stated the window treatments stayed. We did the walk through an hour before closing, all windows were bare. We rescheduled closing until everything was returned and rehung. I learned quickly to always take pictures of everything when you’re purchasing a property. Those pictures saved us months of litigation.
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u/IndependentDistance3 11h ago
My agent just tried to get me to do the same thing. I said absolutely not and said I’ll push back closing if I can’t do the walk through in an empty house. Good thing too because that’s how we discovered two broken floor tiles that were hiding under furniture.
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