How Do You Run a New-Home Walkthrough?

By Wyatt Cooper · Published October 11, 2026 · 5 min read

Key takeaways

Walk the house yourself a week before the buyer does, and fix what you find, so the buyer's list is short.
At the walkthrough, write one list both of you sign, and record cosmetic damage before move-in, when nobody can argue about who caused it.
Give every item a trade, a date and a status, and close each one with the buyer's initials.
End the walkthrough by explaining the warranty: what it covers, for how long and how to report a problem in writing.

To run a new-home walkthrough, walk the house with your superintendent first and finish what you find. Then walk it with the buyer room by room, showing them how the systems work, and write every item on one list that you both sign, noting cosmetic damage before move-in. Assign each item to a trade with a date, close each one with the buyer's initials, and finish by explaining the warranty and how to report problems in writing.

Before the buyer arrives

The walkthrough (often called the pre-closing or orientation walk) goes best when the builder has already done it. A week before, the superintendent walks every room with the list from the final inspections, runs every fixture and appliance, opens every window and door, and has the trades fix what can be fixed. What is left for the buyer to find should be small.

Book enough time: a short walk invites a second one.
Have the house clean, the utilities on and the lights working, so finishes can be seen.
Bring the manuals, warranties and paint colors for the buyer's binder, and tape or flags to mark items.
Know your warranty standards. NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines are, in NAHB's words, "the industry's go-to recommendations for evaluating how homes should perform during the warranty period"; some states set their own.

Walk it room by room

1SuperintendentPre-walks the house and has the trades fix what they can
2Superintendent and buyerWalk room by room; the super shows how each system works
3Superintendent and buyerWrite one list and both sign it
4TradesFix each item by its date
5SuperintendentChecks each fix and gets the buyer's initials

The walkthrough, from the builder's pre-walk to the buyer's sign-off

Go in the same order every time: outside, then the main floor, then up, then the garage and mechanical room. Show the buyer the main water shutoff, the electrical panel, the furnace filter and the GFCI resets. Write down anything the buyer points to, even if you think it is within tolerance: you can decide that later in writing, but an item left off the list becomes an argument.

Record cosmetic damage now. A chip in a counter or a scratch in a window found before move-in is the builder's to fix; found after the movers, nobody can say who caused it. Photograph each item with the room in the frame.

One list, signed: an example

Part of the walkthrough list for the fictional Marsh Hollow house, Lot 14
#	Room	Item	Trade	Due	Status
1	Kitchen	Chip in countertop edge left of sink	Countertops	Before closing	Open
2	Kitchen	Dishwasher door rubs cabinet panel	Cabinets	Before closing	Fixed, buyer initialed
3	Primary bath	Shower door does not latch	Glass	Before closing	Open
4	Bedroom 2	Nail pops on ceiling, three places	Drywall and paint	First warranty visit	Scheduled
5	Garage	Hairline crack in slab near door	None: within the builder's written standard		Explained to buyer in writing
6	Exterior	Missing downspout splash block, rear corner	Superintendent	Before closing	Open

Items that affect closing are fixed before closing; small cosmetic items that can wait, such as a few nail pops (New Jersey's standards call occasional nail pops common in drywall), go on the first warranty visit. Item 5 shows how to handle a buyer concern you won't fix: write down why, against the standard. New Jersey's warranty booklet, for example, treats garage slab cracks "in excess of one quarter inch in width or one quarter inch in vertical displacement" as a deficiency, so a hairline crack is not one there. Give the buyer a copy the same day. On commercial work this same list is the punch list.

Hand over to the warranty

End by explaining the warranty: what it covers, for how long, and how to report problems. The terms vary by state and contract. In Virginia, a builder-seller's implied warranty runs one year from the transfer of title or possession, whichever comes first, and five years for the foundation, and the buyer must give written notice before suing (Va. Code § 55.1-357). New Jersey's state program covers one, two and ten years for different defects and asks owners to list defects for the builder in writing (NJ DCA). Check your contract and your state's law.

Tell the buyer to put warranty requests in writing to one address, and explain what counts as an emergency. The next step is how to handle warranty requests.

The bottom line

Pre-walk the house, walk it with the buyer room by room, write one signed list with cosmetic damage recorded before move-in, give every item a trade and date, and close by explaining the warranty and how to report problems.

Conflo is built for commercial construction today; it has a punch list for commercial jobs but no homeowner walkthrough or portal. Join the waitlist to hear when residential tools arrive, and see the residential builder's guide.

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Sources

New Home Warranty Program Homeowner's Booklet (revised September 2025) — New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards. Read October 16, 2026.
Code of Virginia § 55.1-357, Implied warranties on new homes — Virginia General Assembly, Legislative Information System. Read October 16, 2026.
How to Deliver High-Performance Homes and Protect Your Bottom Line — National Association of Home Builders. Read October 16, 2026.

Questions

What is a new construction walkthrough?

A walk of the finished house by the builder and the buyer before closing or move-in, to show how the house works and to list anything incomplete or damaged. Both sign the list, and the builder fixes each item by an agreed date.

How long should a new-home walkthrough take?

Long enough to see every room and run every system without rushing; for a typical single-family house, plan for a couple of hours. A rushed walk usually means a second one.

Who should attend the walkthrough?

The superintendent or project manager who knows the house, and the buyers. Some buyers bring their own inspector; let them, and add what the inspector finds to the same list rather than starting a second one.

What happens to items found after the walkthrough?

They become warranty requests. The buyer reports them in writing under the warranty's terms, and the builder inspects and repairs those that the warranty covers.