What Should Your Realtor Be Doing at Your Final Walkthrough?

A good buyer’s agent should be actively involved during the final walkthrough, not simply open the door of the home and let the buyer look around. The walkthrough is the buyer’s and realtor's last opportunity before closing to confirm that the property is in the expected condition.

The Realtor should help the buyer:

• Confirm the property’s condition hasn’t materially changed since the buyer last saw it.

• Verify agreed-upon repairs were completed. Bring the inspection repair agreement, attorney modification, or other documentation identifying items the seller agreed to address.

• Confirm included personal property remains, such as appliances, window treatments, mounted TVs if included, garage remotes, shelving, etc.

• Check that the seller has removed belongings and debris if the contract requires the property to be delivered vacant/broom-clean.

• Look for new damage caused during the seller’s move—scratched floors, damaged walls, broken doors, damaged cabinetry, etc.

• Operate major systems and fixtures. Run faucets, flush toilets, check for leaks, turn lights on, test appliances, operate the HVAC, garage door, fireplace and other relevant equipment.

• Look for evidence of water intrusion. Check under sinks, around toilets, near appliances, basement walls/floors and ceilings for leaks or new staining.

• Confirm utilities are still on so these items can actually be tested.

• Document problems immediately with photographs/video and communicate them to the buyer’s attorney before closing.

• Help distinguish a legitimate walkthrough issue from a cosmetic concern. The final walkthrough generally isn't an opportunity to renegotiate things the buyer already knew about; the focus is whether the property is being delivered according to the contract.

What the Realtor should not do

This distinction is particularly important.

A Realtor isn't performing another professional home inspection and shouldn't represent themselves as an electrician, plumber, HVAC technician, structural engineer or attorney. The agent's role is to help the buyer observe, test and document, then bring the appropriate professional in when something questionable appears.

For example, instead of saying:

"There's nothing wrong with the furnace."

A better response is:

"Let's make sure it's operating, and if something doesn't seem right, we'll document it and contact your attorney and/or inspector before closing."

A simple final-walkthrough routine

I like the idea of treating the walkthrough systematically: Outside → room by room → mechanicals → repairs → included items → seller belongings → final photos.

For a Chicago condo, I'd add a few specific items: check the parking space, storage unit, keys/fobs/remotes, appliances, HVAC, plumbing under every sink, signs of water intrusion around windows and ceilings, and any seller-owned fixtures or improvements specifically included in the contract.

The biggest value the Realtor provides isn't necessarily finding defects. It's knowing what was agreed to, recognizing when something doesn't look right, documenting it, and getting the buyer's attorney involved before the transaction closes.