Moot Unless Something’s Happened to the Home

It’s not what I recommend to my Buyer clients, but there are plenty of Buyers who put off doing their walk-thru inspection until just before closing.

Like, on the way.

home_insp2At least in theory, the Owner has an ongoing duty to update their Seller’s Disclosure up to and through closing.

So, if something had happened to the home subsequent to the Inspection but before closing, it would be incumbent upon the Seller to let the Buyer know.

What the Seller Doesn’t Know

The catch with relying on the Seller to report a subsequent home issue?

First, the Seller has to know about it.

I’m aware of plenty of situations where a forthcoming Seller genuinely wasn’t aware of a walk-thru issue until the Buyer brought it to their attention.

“Trust But Verify” Redux

Of course, if the Seller has already moved out — and possibly relocated to another city — they likely will not be aware of any last-minute house issues.

All of which argues for doing the walk-through inspection far ahead enough of closing to leave time to resolve any issues that come up.

The convention:  within 48 hours of closing.

P.S.: There is one legitimate reason to do the walk-thru as late as possible (or, doing it again):  the Buyer wants to verify that the home has been emptied out and left clean.

See also, “Home Buyer’s Final Walk-Through Inspection“; “What if the Seller Isn’t Moved Out by Closing?“; and “Springing a Leak — or a Lake(?!?) — Before Closing.”

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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