Final Punch List Walkthrough For an Investment Property with myRE360

When renting or selling an investment property, your final punch list walkthrough is your opportunity to catch anything your team missed before showing it to renters or buyers. Items found on final punch lists range from missing trim pieces to finding pest infestations. Catching all these items beforehand can help you get the highest return on your property investment.Adonis Lockett with the myRE360 Real Estate Investing YouTube Channel takes us on his final punch list walkthrough and shows us room-by-room what to look for when getting ready to list your investment property for sale or rent.

Final Punch List Walkthrough For an Investment Property with myRE360

Building the right tech stack is key

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How to choose the right tech stack for your company?

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What to consider when choosing the right tech stack?

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What are the most relevant factors to consider?

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What tech stack do we use at Techly X?

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When renting or selling an investment property, your final punch list walkthrough is your opportunity to catch anything your team missed before showing it to renters or buyers. Items found on final punch lists range from missing trim pieces to finding pest infestations. Catching all these items beforehand can help you get the highest return on your property investment.

Adonis Lockett with the myRE360 Real Estate Investing YouTube Channel takes us on his final punch list walkthrough and shows us room-by-room what to look for when getting ready to list your investment property for sale or rent.

If you want to learn more about punch lists, check out Construction Punch Lists - Complete Guide & Best Practices for more information.

Final Punch List Walkthrough Transcription

Hey everybody, my name is Adonis Lockett, and I'm standing in a completed investment property, and we're talking final punch lists. 

Final Punch List Walkthroughs Differ Depending on Investment Type

Your investment strategy will typically dictate how aggressive you want to be in your final punch list walkthrough. Why?

Flip Punch List

When going for a flip, you want to be very, very particular about the things you capture in your final punch list. 

Rental Punch List

Whereas in a rental, you can let a few things slide because, at some point in the future, you may have to renovate the house after a tenant moves out.

Room-By-Room Punch List Walkthrough

So we'll walk through room by room and identify how to call items in your final punch properly and based on your investment strategy, whether it's worth getting, rectifying, or just passing over since it will only impact what you're doing next.

We'll jump in room by room and identify what will happen in your final punch. When I first walk into a room, I assess two things. First, how does the room make me feel? Aesthetically, what are my fir? What is my first impression? How does the paint look? Then I start evaluating the functionality of everything.

Living Room Final Punch List

  1. HVAC Vent 
  2. Closet 
  3. Cable Lines 
  4. Windows 
  5. Front Door 
  6. Light Switches 
  7. Outlets 
  8. Ceiling Fan 

So, in this case, we're going to pick one section, the room to start in, and then we're going to check cosmetically and its functionality and then work our way around the room. So first instance, my vent for the HVAC system. Now at first glance, it's not clogged, and it's not dirty. So functionally, it's okay, cosmetically subpar. Based on my strategy, since this house is a particular rental, I’ll pay little to no attention.

However, if I was flipping this house, this is something that you'd want to replace because you want this to present very well. As I move on to the closet, the first thing I do is check its functionality. Does it open and close properly? Does it latch? Does it rub against the bottom, top, or sides? So functionally, the closet looks in and functions appropriately. Looking into the closet, are there any gaps around the floor trim?

Is the handle itself or the closet rods sturdy? Does the light switch work if applicable? Here's one thing that people often need to consider when looking at the closet. Cosmetically, it may look fine, but people rarely step into the closet. And when you step in, you'll notice a couple of things. The first thing is that the interior of the cabinet is missing trim.

So this is something that is often overlooked. And in the flip project, this would be the reason why your buyer believes the quality of work is subpar. And now this has become a talking point for a reduced price. So you want to pay attention to stuff that often needs to be considered. Another thing you need to pay attention to, has pests have entered the uh, property since you left, completed? Now if you notice, there are some bugs in its corner. What that means again is that a buyer or a renter will want you to put something in place to get rid of pests.

So you should be very mindful of these things as you go through them. The next item is the cable lines. Now, although everyone enjoys having cable, there are better options for a presentation. Functionally irrelevant. But I would eliminate that as part of making the room more aesthetically pleasing.

When I'm coming over to my windows, do my blinds work? Do they properly go up and go down? Does my window have a lock on it? And in this case, does stuff fall off the window when I open and close it? So we have a functioning lock, we have a functioning blind. This is something that I would include on my punch, my front door. Does the front door open and close properly? Does the deadbolt latch?

Do the knobs latch? Do they lock properly? And for if, depending on the states you're in, do any of the additional locks required as part of a rental property, do my light switch work? Do they stick, or do they, or do they hold or catch? So you want to pay attention to different things. And for example, I have an outlet that is not functional.

Now as part of my punch, I want to spend the money to have an electrician remove this. Or say, Hey, it's a rental property; no one will use it. Just go ahead and ignore it. Now, that's for you as the investor to decide, but this is also something that you want to be mindful of. Our ceiling fan. Does the ceiling fan work? Does it turn on, and does it go through the three levels? You want to check every room because no matter how extensive you are in your search, the more information you know about what does and does not work, the better you are prepared to deal with your tenant or buyer.

Hallway Final Punch List

  1. Light Switches 
  2. Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Detectors 
  3. HVAC & Thermostat

Now that I'm done with the living room, I'll start coming down the hallway to one of the bedrooms—the same thing. I evaluate the first impression, and then I'll begin to check functionality.

Are the light switch, the carbon monoxide, and the smoke detectors functioning correctly? So I'll spot-check every light switch, and I'll also be checking the cosmetic can finish out of the flooring, the paint, the ceilings, and the light fixtures. 

I'll also spot-check to make sure the thermostat kicks on, and I'll turn the heat and the AC on to ensure that my thermostat is functioning correctly. I'll open up, take a look inside my furnace closet to make sure that the furnace itself looks intact, and also evaluate any potential leaks or something that may constitute necessary maintenance.

Bedroom Final Punch List

  1. Closet 
  2. Light Switches 
  3. Doorstop 

So from the hallway, we're going to walk into, um, the first bedroom, and then typically we do the same evaluation system and this bedroom that we do everyone else, how do I look? How does the room look cosmetically? And then, we check basic functionality.

Now, depending on your strategy, some of the issues in the drywall may be in this a problem. But for a rental, this is acceptable. Should you flip a house, this is typically always unacceptable for a flip project. This is something that is added to your punch. Pay attention to bubbling in the walls, inconsistency in the texture, or just sections that were not properly textured. After a general repair, make sure that you have functions functioning, smoke detectors as that is a requirement, uh, in most states, regardless of what your investment strategy is, do you have out cables that are hanging out the wall or do you have outlet covers that don't seem to fit properly over the actual outlet?

As you're going through, you also want to have a tester plug into each outlet to ensure each outlet is functioning correctly.

In this case, our closet door is behind our entry door. Does the closet door open and close? Does the light switch work? You'll notice that we have a closet rod missing. This is not negligent on behalf of the general contractor, and this may be a simple oversight. The most things you want to consider are that the general contractor or your repair person isn't necessarily not doing it. Maybe they just overlooked it.

Another thing to also consider is, does my door hit the wall? And if it does, do I have a proper doorstop? You'll notice that two previous doorstops have been removed. So you want to add a doorstop, um, to make sure that you're not creating unnecessary repair work. 

Bathroom Final Punch List

  1. Sink 
  2. Vanity 
  3. Towel Holder 
  4. Light Fixtures 
  5. Toilet 
  6. Tissue Holder 
  7. Tub 
  8. Faucet 
  9. Shower Head 

So coming out of the bedroom, we're now heading into, uh, the bathroom. So first thing I consider when I go into the bathroom, again, cosmetically, how does it look?

But in the bathroom, we're more focused on functionality because this is where you will have your most significant issues. So first thing we're going to come to the sink. Does the hot water and the cold water turn on? Does the hot water turn hot? Does your plunger work? Does it open and close, and does it hold water? Okay, next thing we do, we're going to make sure the vanity is fixated to the wall. You'll notice that the vanity has some wiggle. That means the first time someone hits against it, it may create a significant plumbing issue.

We'll always check underneath. Do we have any current leaks? So I'll go ahead and touch the pipes all the way around to ensure we don't have any wet spots. Now you'll notice that there's water at the base of the cabinet.

Is this from a current leak or a previous leak? So we want to be mindful of what's happening under here because this is typically where you'll get the bulk of your problems, especially when you have a tint coming over here. Is my towel holder sturdy? Are my light fixtures sturdy? Is my toilet? Does the tank wobble aggressively? Does it flush properly? Does my bathroom itself move or shake? Is my toilet seat? Is my tissue holder firm? So all of these things you'll notice in this hand in just 30 seconds, we've identified a handful of issues.

Now, let’s look at the tub. Does the tub water turn on properly? Does it hold water? Is my faucet spout loose? Is my shower head loose? So again, these are issues that when you're renting or selling, you're going to have to rectify regardless of your investment strategy And if you don't fix these early, they can be very pricey later. 

Laundry Room Final Punch List

  1. Washer 
  2. Cold/Hot Water Supply Lines 
  3. Drain Line 
  4. Dryer Plug 
  5. Dryer Vent 
  6. Outlet 
  7. Door

Now that I finish up my bathroom, I'm checking out my laundry room. 

There are five key things I'm looking for when evaluating my punch in the laundry room. The first thing is my washer, my cold, and, uh, hot water supply lines. So, first of all, this should be the case in a laundry box, which is unacceptable regardless of your investment strategy. So I always check the supply lines. Then next to my drain line, is this a good drain line?

And I also want to ensure it's not clogged or will potentially back up because that'll flood the unit. Um, in this case, we have a screw sticking out, which means that there's laundry room when it was reconfigured, um, has a safety hazard.

So you want to pay close attention to any potential safety hazards. The next thing is my dryer plug. Is my dryer plug acceptable? Is it trimmed out and caulked adequately not to create any potential safety hazards? My dryer vent, is this standard? Is it clogged, and does it exit the house? And then, finally, do I have my proper outlet? Anytime there's an outlet close to a water supply source, it needs to be a GFCI Outlet. So again, regardless of my investment strategy, this needs to be replaced to be a properly functioning GFCI outlet.

So once I provide away those close things, I next make sure I have a functioning door for my laundry room. If my door doesn't latch or is off the tracks, that may create some additional work issues that need to be done.

Kitchen Final Punch List

  1. Flooring 
  2. Tile 
  3. Appliances 
  4. Gas & Electric Lines 
  5. Countertops 
  6. Cabinets 
  7. Drawers 
  8. Handles 
  9. Sink Faucet 
  10. Outlets 

Now that we're coming into our kitchens and baths drive our values. And because that's where the source of our plumbing will also be the source of our highest potential cost. So pay close attention to your punch in the kitchen in the bathroom. So first thing, I always recommend you do your kitchen flooring. Either be a tile porcelain or something to that effect or a vinyl plank. You also want to listen to see if any towel is loose or shaken.

When the tile gets set, one or two tiles are loose. So pay attention to any noise that you hear underneath your tile. I typically like to make my punch list before the appliances are delivered. This way, we can check to ensure we have proper outlets for the appliances going in.

If you're dealing with a gas stove, ensure you have the proper gas line because there are different fittings and sizes connected to your stove and gas line. So just make sure to do a pre-check on this stuff. Make sure everything works out. I always typically like to do one thing, especially when you replace your countertops: give it a good tug. Make sure that your countertop is tight enough. Give it a good draw to ensure it doesn't bounce up and down. So in a situation like this, this is a simple screw that can be added and fully secures your countertop.

Pay attention. When dealing with older cabinets, especially ones that have been repainted, ensure that the cabinet doors open, close, and latch properly. Make sure also that the shelves have been painted or cleaned out because very often, painters or the general contractor may paint the exterior but not touch the interior of the cabinet, which can hurt the cosmetic aspect, uh, of it.

Anytime you have outlets in your kitchen near a water source, it needs to be g I coming around. I always like to tug at the sink faucet to ensure that it's not loose and that there's no wobble: spot-check hot water and cold water. And then again, I also pay attention since the countertop is new to ensure that the sink was correctly installed. Here you'll notice a decent little gap between the sink and a countertop. This should be added to my punch list as an issue to be fixed.

Always check underneath the sink because if there is or was previously a leak, it may warp the wood underneath the kitchen sink. So you want us to get under there to ensure that there's no mold and that this actual bottom cabinet or this bottom shelf has been painted and looks cosmetically pleasing? Make sure to check your drawers that all drawers open and close properly, and make sure that you check every handle to make sure you don't have any loose handles on your cabinet doors or your drawers.

You want to get in and open every door and drawer to evaluate your punch in your kitchen to ensure that nothing gets overlooked. 

Thoroughly Evaluate a Property During Your Final Punch List Walkthrough

Now that you've completed your walk of the house, it is essential to be mindful of a few things. One, it is much more expensive to bring someone out to fix a repair when the job has been done versus getting them fixed during your final punch. 

So you always want to be very assertive and thoroughly evaluate everything. This way when you deliver your house to your buyer or a renter, you won't have to bring, bring someone back out and pay a premium. 

Supercharge Your Final Punch List Walkthrough

When going through your final punch list walkthrough, you need to document everything that needs to be done and ensure that it gets to the right person in time. That’s where smart photos come in.

Smart photos in our punch list app help you assign, track, and approve your punch list items, allowing you to create work orders, change orders, and tickets in a tap with a snap of a photo.

Try SeeSnap for free today, and don’t let punch lists kill your profits!

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