Building a House? Grab This Free Printable Pre-Closing Checklist!
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Oh, the stories I could tell about our construction process! I’m still working on the post, I know I promised you the full scoop and I intend to share. However, today I’m giving you a gift born from the lessons we learned– a FREE printable closing checklist for a new construction home. It’ll be a handy tool for your walk-through to make sure you’ve peeked in to every nook and cranny and gotten the most for your hard-earned money when it comes to purchasing a high-quality home with as few issues as possible.
Building a house can be a stressful process for many reasons, and that really ramps up as you get closer to closing. I can’t stress enough the importance of two BIG things:
- hiring a realtor from the beginning (before you plunk down that deposit!)
- hiring an inspector to do a thorough inspection before the drywall goes up and also pre-closing
After going through this process ourselves (and conversations with many others who’ve recently closed on a new construction home), we compiled a list of common issues to look for during the walk-through from top to bottom for huge peace of mind before going to the closing table.
Some issues are minor like nailpops on the wall, and some a little bigger such as leaks or issues with flooring. For example, checking each faucet for leaks is time consuming but necessary.
When doing the walk-through, everyone should have a roll of blue painter’s tape to tag areas that need to be fixed. I’d also recommend taking photos of where you taped just in case your builder decides to take off the tape before fixing it. :-/
Our builder accidentally installed the wrong hardwood floors through the entire first floor and I didn’t discover it until a few days before closing. Thankfully they fixed it without issue, but it was a costly mistake for them and these things do happen. Not all issues are as blatant, however, so this checklist will help.
We’ve rounded up the motherload list of issues and things to look for in a new construction home for you to use as a tool during your walkthrough. It was compiled after hearing many stories of new-construction nightmares… so trust me, there’s a very good reason for flushing a (smallish) wad of toilet paper in the toilets and not just flushing an empty bowl.
Please note it is copyright protected so please don’t repost the checklist itself online, however you are welcome to post the link to it. 🙂
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s comprehensive and while there are a few random issues out there it should cover the majority. It’s also a guide when you’re closing on any home, though a previously owned home won’t have the same warranties if you discover a problem as a new one. Also, there’s some cross-over between what an inspector might find and this list; that’s on purpose, because sometimes mistakes pop up in the time between inspection and closing or some inspectors might miss cosmetic items.
And for the love, don’t go to closing without everything being fixed if possible. Getting your builder to respond and contractors out in a timely manner after closing could be a challenge if it’s not in the contract.
Chime in about your experience during your pre-closing walk-through in the comments, especially if you found an issue that’s not on the list. My readers always have awesome advice and I know it would be helpful to so many others!
