The offer is accepted. The attorneys are involved. The inspection is done. The appraisal cleared. By the time a Connecticut real estate transaction reaches the final walkthrough, most sellers assume the hard part is over.
It isn’t always.
Kristin Egmont, a Fairfield County real estate agent with more than two decades working Connecticut markets, has seen deals unravel at the last possible moment – not because of bad faith or financial problems, but because of things that could have been caught and resolved weeks earlier. A burst pipe. An open permit. A wetlands violation buried in a title search. Details that sound minor until they’re the reason a closing doesn’t happen.
“Disasters can happen,” Egmont said. “That’s why the walkthrough before closing is so important – even if you’ve been to the house three or four times already.”
The Swimming Pool Nobody Ordered
Egmont recalls a closing that came to a halt when she insisted on a pre-closing walkthrough that the buyer initially wanted to skip. They went anyway.
When they opened the basement door, water had risen to the second step. A pipe had burst while the home sat vacant. The seller had forgotten to winterize the property.
“I called the seller’s agent and told him the home now comes with a swimming pool,” Egmont laughs. “We couldn’t close.”
The closing was delayed until the damage was addressed. It was an outcome that could have been avoided entirely – and one that Egmont uses as a standing argument for why the day-before walkthrough is non-negotiable, regardless of how smooth the process has been up to that point.
What Else Can Stop a Closing in Connecticut
Beyond the dramatic scenarios, Egmont outlines a set of less obvious issues that consistently cause delays or derail closings in the Connecticut market.
Open permits are one of the most common. Connecticut sellers who completed renovations or additions years ago may have permits that were never formally closed out. Those open permits surface in the title search – and buyers’ attorneys, who are required to ensure a clear title, will often refuse to let a closing proceed until they’re resolved. Egmont has seen sellers who could have cleared a violation weeks in advance scrambling to do it at the eleventh hour, or losing the buyer entirely.
Connecticut’s attorney-driven closing process adds another layer of complexity. Unlike some states where a title company handles the close, Connecticut requires both a selling attorney and a buyer’s attorney to review and approve the transaction. The five-day attorney review period that follows an accepted offer is just the beginning – coordination between both attorneys, the lender, and both parties continues through underwriting, appraisal, and the mortgage commitment process.
“Communication matters between your seller, your attorney, and the buyers,” Egmont said. “The seller could have rectified some of these things two weeks earlier. That’s why keeping your home up to date and closing permits out matters – even if you already have a buyer.”
A closing in Connecticut typically falls between 45 and 60 days from an accepted offer. Sellers who use that window to stay on top of documentation, respond promptly to attorney requests, and conduct a thorough pre-closing walkthrough are the ones who actually make it to the table on the day it’s scheduled.
More on Egmont’s approach to the full selling process is available at kristinegmont.com/process/
About The Expert: Kristin Egmont is a Connecticut real estate agent specializing in Fairfield and New Haven County. She has been helping buyers and sellers navigate the local market for more than 20 years. Learn more at kristinegmont.com.
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.