The final walkthrough typically happens shortly before closing — often the day of or the day before — and gives you one last chance to confirm the home is in the condition your contract calls for: any agreed-upon repairs are complete, nothing has been damaged since your inspection, and the home is empty of the seller's belongings unless items were specifically included in the sale.
It's worth bringing your inspection report and the repair agreement, if there was one, to check items off directly rather than relying on memory. If something is wrong, it's far easier to address before closing than after — once the sale is final, your leverage to request a fix changes considerably.
Closing day itself, sometimes called settlement, is generally where you'll sign a substantial stack of documents — the note (your promise to repay the loan), the mortgage or deed of trust (which secures that promise with the property), and various disclosures — usually at a title company, attorney's office, or occasionally remotely, depending on your state and lender.
You'll also deliver your "cash to close" at this stage, confirmed from your Closing Disclosure, and bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Many closings take somewhere in the neighborhood of an hour, though this varies by state, lender, and how many parties are involved.
Once everything is signed, funds are disbursed, and the deed is recorded with the county, the home is officially yours — the moment this entire Academy has been building toward. The Own stage that follows covers what to take care of in your first weeks and months as a homeowner.