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Two years ago we became homeowners at the age of 28 and 32. It was one of our major goals that we accomplished! We weren’t planning on purchasing a new constructions but after looking at all our options we decided a new construction was the right choice for us. This was our first home so we had no idea what we were doing. I will list a few things we would have done differently during our final walk through that would have saved us the headache we are currently experiencing now.

We were cutting it close when we moved out of our apartment to our new home. Our lease for our apartment was ending on December 31 and we set to close on our home on December 30th.

As a side note our home was suppose to be ready by November but because of permit delays it was not ready until December. So if you are currently leasing a place or selling your current home make sure you have a plan B in case your new home is not ready in the expected time.

If you are in the process of closing on a home below are a few things that you should look out for during your final walk through. We purchased a new construction but this list is something that applies to any home purchased new or established. I put together a checklist for you to bring to your final walk through you can download it and print it below!

Check all outlets and light switches

Chances are you will already have your phone with you so bring your charger with you and check every single outlet to make sure they work, also check every single light switch while your at it. Might sound tedious but think of how annoying it would be if you find an outlet or light switch that is not working after you move in.

Check for running water

Turn on every single faucet in the house to make sure they are all running. Also check the water pressure and make sure there are no leaks. If the house has a basement make sure you check for leaks there as well there. We didn’t pay attention to the water pressure during our walk through and we got stuck for a few months with really low pressure until plumbers were finally able to come out. Also asked for the location of the main water supply shut-off. We got this tip from our builder supervisor: shut off the main water supply if your going away for a long period of time in case there is a leak you don’t come home to a disaster.

Check Appliances

Turn on all appliances to make sure they are working. Also make sure to check the ice maker. Don’t forget to ask if stove and dryer are electric or gas.

AC Unit

Turn on both the air conditioner and the heater and let it run for a bit to make sure they are both working. You don’t want to end up with a broken AC in the summer while its 90 degrees outside like we did. Also remember to find out the filter size.

Check all the doors to make sure they close properly

We didn’t pay attention to that and we had a few doors in the house that were not leveled so they could just be pushed opened. Also our basement door didn’t lock it just kept spinning. Make sure to check the front door lock to make sure it locks

Check for Cracks on wall/molding

Especially the ceiling most people don’t think to look up but make sure you do in every room.

Windows

Check to make sure no windows are cracked that they can lock properly and open and close smoothly.

Floors

Check for creaking noises, ripped carpet (especially where the carpet meets a wall or entryway. We didn’t pay attention to that and two years later we are still waiting for our carpet to be fixed.

Find out the breaker location

There is nothing worse than looking for your breaker switch after a power outage in the middle of the night.

Make sure everything is clean

This might seem silly but don’t their word for it when they will clean everything before you close. They told us everything will be clean, they left everything a mess. All our windows had splashed paint all over them our basement was full of dust from the construction. Just a complete mess….

Learn from our mistake

During our final walk through we found so many things that needed to be fixed. These things ranged from spots on the ceiling that were missing paint to our stairs not being completely stained. Like I mentioned earlier we were cutting it really close between when our apartment lease was over and our closing date. so during our final walk through we were told that everything will be fixed by the time we closed that afternoon (the final walk through is usually the same day as the closing).

Because we didn’t want to delay our closing date and have to pay an additional month of rent on our apartment we took their word when they said everything will be fixed. We went and signed our lives away before they finished fixing everything. Well that was one the biggest mistakes we could have made. Of course after signing our lives away we went straight to our new home and surprise! Nothing was fixed! Now 2 years later we are still waiting on everything to be fixed.

Purchasing a house is a big commitment its yours forever with all of its issues. We love our house we are happy with the decision that we made to purchase this house. If we had to do it all over again we would have paid an extra months rent for our apartment to make sure everything was properly fixed.