A Story
A recent first-time homebuyer myself, allow me a quick ax-grinding before getting to the final walk-through checklist. This past winter, my wife and I negotiated an acceptable price and list of repairs for the house we wanted. Among other things, the list included repairs to the back gate of the fenced-in backyard and a deep cleaning of the inside of the house.
The fence was not fixed, although a new piece of wood was precariously nailed on (nailed!) to make it look like it was. To my chagrin, that was good enough to fool me during the “quick once-over” misleadingly referred to as the “final walk-through.” The inside of the house wasn’t cleaned either, which was not obvious to me at the time of the walk-through, partially due to the late hour and waning daylight. The utter lack of cleanliness was instantly apparent when we began the move-in process, as the home had obviously hosted small children and pets. I love children and pets, but I did not love the many, many boogers on the walls (boogers!).
