10/11

Since October is all about tricks and treats, we wanted to discuss how real estate professionals work together to ensure your closing is all treats and no tricks at the end of your journey. If you have ever bought or sold a home, you know how many moving parts are involved. The closing is where all of these parts come together. 

Luckily, there are steps we take for you to ensure a smooth transaction at closing. Because there are so many pieces to the puzzle, there’s no way to guarantee that issues won’t present themselves on the way to the closing table, but our teams and fellow real estate professionals will be here to keep you on the right track.

1. We do a title search. This might be the most important step for the buyer to ensure a clear title with no liens on the property. There are some real-life horror stories regarding new homeowners who either didn’t perform a title search or didn’t purchase title insurance. However, when you work with us, there’s no need to worry. We’ll make sure your property rights are secure now, and protected well into the future. 
2. Prepare all documents needed for the closing. The amount of paperwork that exchanges hands at the closing table is enough to make you dizzy, but we’ll help keep everything straight. Just be sure to bring a photo ID and be prepared to sign a lot of papers – like a scary amount of them. 
3. We work together to ensure all funds are ready to go. We’ll work with your loan officer and REALTOR® to ensure you know how much you owe, how it must be paid, and when. On a frightening side note: Cybercriminals are always lurking, so if you’re wiring money, be wary of urgent claims of last-minute changes (those rarely happen) and other wire fraud attempts.
4. Remember that a home inspection is also essential. This is the only step on this list we’re not directly involved in. However, it’s important to find a licensed home inspector to walk through the house before you close. Many contracts will have the home inspection built in as a contingency because it can uncover so much. No matter what your inspector finds, it will be worth the peace of mind.

No one wants to deal with issues at closing, but we’re here to be the problem solvers you need, no matter what season it is. Thank you for choosing our team, and know that working with our partners and people in our communities is always a treat.