Home Buying Checklist: What to Check Before You Close
A home inspector checks for code and safety issues. Here's what a handyman notices that often gets missed — the small stuff that becomes a repair bill later.
A home inspection covers structural, electrical, and safety items. It usually doesn't flag cosmetic or convenience issues — the stuff you'll actually notice and want fixed in your first month living there. Here's what to walk through before you close, or at least before your final walkthrough.
Room-by-room checklist
| Area | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Walls (all rooms) | Nail pops, hairline cracks, uneven texture patches | Signals prior repairs — worth asking what was fixed and why |
| Doors | Open/close smoothly, latch properly, no rubbing on frame | Sticking doors can mean settling — minor or a bigger sign |
| Where a TV might go | Check the wall type behind the likely TV spot (brick, stud spacing) | Changes your mounting cost and options later |
| Existing mounts / anchors | Old TV mount holes, curtain rod holes, shelf anchors | May need patching before you move in your own stuff |
| Ceiling fans / fixtures | Wobble, noise, working remote or wall switch | Cheap to check now, annoying to deal with after move-in |
| Flooring transitions | Gaps or lifting where flooring types meet | Common in flipped homes with mixed flooring |
| Caulking (kitchen, bath) | Cracked or missing caulk around sinks, tubs, showers | Small water intrusion source often missed in inspections |
Questions worth asking the seller or agent
- Has any drywall repair been done recently, and where?
- Are there existing wall anchors or mounts you're leaving (or taking)?
- When was the home last painted, and with what paint (useful for future touch-ups)?
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Should I get a handyman walkthrough before closing?
It's not standard, but walking the home yourself with this list — or asking your inspector to flag cosmetic items too — can save surprises after you move in.
What's the most commonly missed item?
Wall condition behind where furniture will go, and whether existing TV mounts or shelf anchors are usable or need patching and redoing.
Can one visit cover multiple small fixes?
Yes — this is exactly what a general repairs visit is for: a list of small items across the house handled in one appointment instead of several separate calls.