When your new home is complete and you are just about done packing up for the move, a builder will arrange a final walk-through of the property. No matter how hectic your schedule is (the walk-through might happen days or even hours before the final settlement), don’t skip this last step before moving in.
While the walk-through with your builder is not intended to be a formal inspection, it’s an opportunity for the homeowner to make sure that everything in the home has been built or installed as agreed upon, and that nothing has been damaged during the building process.
We work closely with our custom home clients from beginning to end, and our homeowners typically have visited the their new home project many times prior to walk-through day. Getting ready to move into a new house is both exciting and stressful, and we are committed to getting every detail just right. Still, we encourage our clients to have a checklist handy at the walk-through so that all of their questions are answered and they are sure everything is finished to their satisfaction.
The final walk-through also serves as new home “orientation”. We go over operation and maintenance of your new appliances and mechanical systems, warranty information, and a timeline for how we handle issues that might arise in the first months that you are living in your new home.
For most of our clients, the hardest thing about the final walk-through is concentrating on construction and warranty details when they are so close to settling in to their dream house. We always keep in touch with our clients and are willing to answer questions that come up down the road. Every builder is different, so make sure that you and your builder have clear communication about how they will handle any problems that you might not notice until after all of the boxes are unpacked.