Get every violation and repair resolved before you close; once the seller has been paid, your leverage is gone. After closing, your only recourse for unresolved items is chasing the seller, and that can mean small claims court over things that should have been handled while the money was still on the table. That headache is worth avoiding entirely. HOA violations carry a second, more concrete risk. Many associations will not release transfer documentation to a new owner until outstanding violations are cleared. If that paperwork is held up, it can complicate or even block the transfer itself, so an open violation can stand directly between you and a clean closing. Pushing this through is largely the listing agent's job, since their client owes you the property in the agreed condition. Press, through your own agent, to have everything satisfied before you sign. If the seller genuinely cannot finish in time, two alternatives beat closing on a promise: - Delay closing until the items are cured. - Negotiate a holdback, with funds staying in escrow until the work is verified complete. With a Friday closing and items still open, that conversation needs to happen now, before you release your contingencies.