08/21/2026
The final walkthrough is not a formality. It’s the last moment you have any leverage.
So let’s play this out. Hypothetically.
You close Friday. You walk in that morning for the final walkthrough and the dining room chandelier is gone. So are the hallway sconces. Bare wires hanging out of the ceiling.
The sellers say those were family pieces. And now you’re standing there with a moving truck on the way, deciding if you want to blow up your own closing over lighting.
So let’s make sure you never end up there.
Know the default. If it’s bolted, screwed, or wired in, it usually stays. If it’s plugged in or hanging on a hook, it usually goes. But “usually” is not a contract.
Name it in writing. Don’t write “all light fixtures.” Write “dining room chandelier, entry pendant, all hallway sconces.” Same for TV mounts, curtain rods, shelving, mirrors, the shed, the washer and dryer. Be boring and specific. Boring is what protects you.
Screenshot the listing photos the day you go under contract. That’s your record of what the house looked like when you agreed to buy it.
Do the walkthrough AFTER they move out. Not while boxes are stacked in the corner hiding what’s missing. If they need extra days, that’s a rent back in writing, not a favor.
Walk with those photos open on your phone. Room by room. Look up at ceilings.
Open closets. Check the garage and the yard.
Then the small stuff people forget. Garage remotes. Mailbox key. Gate key. Light bulbs.
And if something IS missing, do not sign. Once you sign and it records, your leverage is gone and you’re chasing a stranger for money.
Before the pen touches paper you have options. Hold funds in escrow until it’s replaced. Ask for a credit for the replacement cost. Push the signing.
Sellers, you’re not off the hook. If you want to keep grandma’s chandelier, swap it out before the photos get taken. Never market something you’re not actually selling.
Follow for more of what really happens between contract and closing.