What is on a final walkthrough checklist?
Last updated September 1, 2026
The final walkthrough verifies one thing: the home is in the condition your contract promised. You confirm the agreed repairs are done, the systems still work, everything the contract includes is still there, and the sellers have moved out and cleared the property. In California the purchase agreement gives you this check within 5 days before close of escrow. The full checklist is below, along with the fixes when something is wrong.
Buyers treat the walkthrough as a formality because by walkthrough day they are exhausted and the moving truck is booked. Treat it as the last checkpoint where problems are still cheap to fix. After closing, the same problems become yours.
What is the final walkthrough actually for?
It is a verification, and the word matters. Your inspection happened weeks ago, during your contingency period. That was your chance to investigate the house and negotiate repairs. The walkthrough checks that the house you agreed to buy is still the house you are getting: same condition, repairs completed, nothing removed that should stay, nothing left that should go.
The C.A.R. residential purchase agreement calls it a final verification of condition, and it says in capital letters that the verification is not a contingency of the sale. You cannot cancel the deal because the walkthrough disappointed you. What you can do is enforce the contract, and the section below on problems covers exactly how.
Where this fits in the larger sequence, from offer to keys, is mapped in our article on how long it takes to buy a house and stage by stage in the buyer roadmap.
When does the final walkthrough happen in California?
The standard C.A.R. contract gives the buyer the right to make the final verification within 5 days before close of escrow, unless the parties wrote in a different number. That is the window. Inside it, the practical answer is as late as you can manage, ideally after the sellers have moved out, a day or two before closing.
Timing it late matters for a simple reason. Move-out is when damage happens. A couch corner through the drywall, a scraped floor, a sprinkler line crushed by the truck. Walk through a furnished house and you verify nothing behind the furniture.
One scheduling detail that saves the whole exercise: confirm the utilities are still on before you go. Sellers sometimes cancel service early. With the power and gas off, you cannot test a single system, and a walkthrough you cannot test is a walkthrough wasted. Your agent should confirm this the day before.
The final walkthrough checklist
Bring three documents: the purchase contract with its list of included items, the repair request the seller agreed to, and the repair receipts the seller provided. Then work the house top to bottom. Plan on 30 to 60 minutes and do not let anyone rush you.
Run every faucet and look underneath for leaks. Flush every toilet. Run the shower hot to test the water heater. Run the heat, then the air conditioning. Run the dishwasher and the disposal. Open and close the garage door with the opener. Test the doorbell, a sample of outlets, and every light switch.
Check each item on the repair list against the actual work, one by one. Collect the receipts, invoices and any warranties for the work. A receipt from a licensed contractor beats a seller saying it got handled.
The contract lists what stays: appliances, window coverings, mounted TVs or their brackets, light fixtures, the shed, whatever was negotiated. Verify each one is present and is the same unit you saw, because swaps happen. Chandelier out, builder-grade fixture in.
Look for damage that happened after your inspection, especially along the move-out path: walls, door frames, floors. Check ceilings and under sinks for new water stains. Open windows and doors. Walk the yard and check the irrigation.
The sellers' belongings should be gone and the property should be free of debris. Check the garage, the attic access, the crawl space hatch, the side yard and behind the shed. Hauling away an abandoned pile costs real money and it becomes your money at closing.
Confirm the handoff plan for every key, mailbox key, garage remote, gate fob, alarm code and appliance manual. These usually change hands at or right after closing. Knowing where they are on walkthrough day beats hunting for them on move-in day.
What if something is wrong at the final walkthrough?
First, do not panic, and do not wave it through. Most walkthrough problems get solved in a day or two when they are raised immediately. Photograph the problem, tell your agent within the hour, and put the request to the seller in writing.
Four standard fixes, roughly in order of how often we see them used.
For small items with a day or two of runway, the seller simply sends their handyman back. Ask for the receipt.
Both sides agree on a dollar amount and escrow credits it to you at closing. Get a bid or two so the number rests on something. Lender approval can be needed, since credits touch the loan file.
For bigger or slower repairs, both sides sign instructions telling escrow to hold part of the seller's proceeds, commonly more than the repair bid, until the work is done and verified. The deal closes on time and the seller's own money guarantees the repair. Escrow companies have their own holdback requirements, so raise this option early in the day rather than late.
When the problem is serious and nobody trusts a patch, the parties can agree in writing to extend close of escrow. Nobody loves this option. It is still better than closing on a broken promise.
The verification is not a contingency, so you cannot cancel over a walkthrough problem. The seller is still contractually bound to deliver the property as agreed, with agreed repairs done, and a seller who refuses can be in breach of the contract. In practice, few sellers let a closing collapse over a walkthrough item, which is exactly why raising it in writing, before closing, works. After closing, the same request becomes a legal dispute.
Who goes to the final walkthrough?
You and your agent. Bring anyone whose judgment you want, and if a major repair was part of the deal, consider having your inspector or a contractor recheck that one item. The sellers are usually gone by then, which is better for everyone. You want to open cabinets and run appliances without hosting a conversation.
One honest limitation. A walkthrough is a visual check by non-experts, and an hour in an empty house will not catch everything a 3 hour professional inspection catches. It is the wrong tool for discovering new defects, and the contract does not treat it as one. Your real protection came earlier, from your inspection contingency. The walkthrough protects the deal you already negotiated. Use each tool for its job.
This is not legal advice. The purchase agreement, repair addenda and escrow holdback instructions are legal documents, and the rules above describe the standard C.A.R. forms, which your contract may modify. Have your agent or a real estate attorney review your specific situation before you act on it.
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What is the final walkthrough for?
It verifies the home is in the condition your contract promised. You confirm agreed repairs are done, the systems still work, everything the contract includes is still there, and the sellers have moved out and cleared the property. It is a verification of condition, done days before closing. It is neither a second inspection nor a chance to reopen negotiations.
When does the final walkthrough happen in California?
The California residential purchase agreement gives the buyer the right to a final verification of the property within 5 days before close of escrow, unless the parties write in a different number. Most buyers walk the home a day or two before closing, after the sellers have moved out and while the utilities are still on.
Is the final walkthrough a contingency?
No. The C.A.R. purchase agreement states that the final verification is not a contingency of the sale, so you cannot cancel just because you found a problem. The seller is still bound by the contract, though. A real problem gets solved through a repair before closing, a credit, an escrow holdback, or a short delay both sides agree to in writing.
What happens if something is wrong at the final walkthrough?
Tell your agent the same hour, document it with photos, and put the request in writing. The common fixes are a seller repair before closing, a credit through escrow, an escrow holdback where escrow keeps part of the seller's proceeds until the work is done, or a brief agreed delay of closing. Do not close quietly and hope. Your leverage drops the moment the money moves.
Summary points
- The final walkthrough verifies the home is in the condition the contract promised. It is a verification, done in the last days before closing, and the earlier inspection was the time for discovery.
- The California C.A.R. purchase agreement gives the buyer the right to a final verification within 5 days before close of escrow, and states it is not a contingency of the sale.
- Walk through after the sellers move out, with the utilities still on, and bring the contract, the agreed repair list, and the repair receipts.
- Test every system: water, toilets, water heater, heat and air, appliances, garage door, outlets and lights.
- Verify every included item from the contract is present and unswapped, and confirm the plan for keys, remotes and codes.
- If something is wrong, document it and raise it in writing before closing. The standard fixes are a seller repair, a credit through escrow, an escrow holdback from seller proceeds, or a short agreed delay.
- Do not close quietly and hope. Your leverage drops the moment the money moves.