Final Inspection
FINAL WALK THROUGH
Most purchase and sale agreements have a paragraph that covers final walk through inspections. The seller grants the buyer access to the property for the purpose of conducting a final walk through inspection prior to the close of escrow. Usually a specific time frame is written into the contract as to how many days prior to the closing the inspection will take place.
The purpose of the inspection is to satisfy the buyer that any repairs agreed to in writing between the buyer and seller have been completed. It also allows the buyer to see that the property has been maintained to the same degree it was found at the time the contract was accepted. The seller needs to have all the utilities on and available to inspect. The inspection may or may not be a contingency of the sale. If the buyer chooses not to conduct a final walk through, then the buyer releases the seller of any liability.
The seller should have available any invoices that refer to inspections and repairs accomplished. Examples of this would be servicing the furnace and air conditioning, well testing, septic inspection and pumping, or survey results.
Professional home inspections will be covered in another section. Refer to the “Buyers” inspection.