Walk Through Before Closing

The standard Vermont Purchase and Sale contract allows for buyers to do a walk through of the property they are buying within 24 hours of closing. What happens at the walk through?

First, the contract calls for the house to be broom clean and free of occupants and personal property. So, that is the first thing to check for. If there is stuff in the house, we'll call the other agent to see what the seller's plan is to remove the belongings. We might give them a little time to come back to get their things, or at closing, money can be put aside to insure the belongings are moved.

If any work needed to be done for the contract, we confirm that it has been completed. We check appliances to make sure they are working. We flush toilets, run water in the sinks and showers, and make sure there are no leaks. We turn on the heat and make sure there is hot water.

Strange stories in walk throughs: The refrigerator didn't work and it was full of food. Yuck. The garage was full of paint cans that were supposed to be moved. They had to come get them. A box of vinyl siding that was to be left was removed. The sellers brought it back. The electricity had been shut off prematurely and so the house was not cleaned. The sellers were charged for cleaning fees.


The walk through is the final opportunity to see the property you are going to buy and make sure everything is working. If the refrigerator breaks after closing, you have a broken refrigerator. That's why we check to make sure before closing!