You’ve agreed to sell your home and have signed a purchase agreement. We are pacing towards closing, so what should you as The Seller expect? A closing or “settlement” is the final step on your home sale where both The Seller and Buyer sign the final ownership paperwork, insurance, and loan documents, if any and The Buyer becomes the legal owner of the home. This typically takes place 3-6 weeks after you have signed a purchase agreement.

You may be in contact with a few people associated with the Sale:

• Your Agent – to guide and support you through out the sale of your home
• The Buyers Agent – to guide and support the Buyer through out the purchase of your home
• The Escrow/Title Company – They are companies that help facilitate the home sale, handle any funds that is associated with the sale, pay any Liens/Bills/Dues needed for the sale of the home, and confirm Title is transferred to Buyer
• Notary – You may meet a Notary in your Escrow office to witness your sign off on the final paperwork for the sale of your home. California also offers mobile notaries where they can meet you at the comfort of your own home!

Remember to budget for Closing Costs – Your Closing Cost may vary depending on your home’s sale price. Get with your Real Estate Professional to go over costs if you are considering selling your home.

Some costs may be:

• The commission for the listing agent and buyer’s agent
• Transfer taxes or recording fees
• Loan payoff costs
• Unpaid homeowner association dues
• Homeowner association dues included up to the settlement date
• Prorated property taxes
• Escrow, title, or attorney fees

Before you close, The Buyer may want to conduct a final walk through to ensure it is in the same condition as when the purchase agreement was signed.

• Clean your house
• Leave any manuals for the new Buyer
• Provide them with your Vendor’s (pool, gardener, etc)
• Do a one last check around to make sure you are not leaving any personal items around
• Check with Buyers but, leave them unused paint cans that go with the property or even give them a list of paint colors, materials that is in the home. Show them how the sprinkler system works or how to turn on the pool system
• Turn off any water valves + lock up. You are responsible for your home until everything is finalized and closed

At the closing or when you meet with your Notary to sign your closing documents, you should have:

• A government-issued photo ID
• A copy of the ratified sales contract
• House keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, gate keys, and any pool keys
• A cashier’s check, or proof of wire transfer, if you need to bring in money to close
• Confirm with Escrow on how you will want to receive your proceeds from Sale, if any

Before you celebrate, remember to do these last few steps that are often overlooked by Sellers:

• Transfer or turn off utilities. Don’t want to pay for the new owner’s utility bills? Coordinate with the buyer so that utilities are transferred to the buyer on closing day.
• Stop any auto-payment bills that are specific to the home you just sold. Mortgage, Insurance, etc.
• Call your Hazard Insurance Company and inform them that you have sold your home. Chances are, you should get a refund on the unused premium.
• Same with your property taxes, if you have an Escrow Account or an Impound account with your Mortgage Company, they should be refunding you any unused monies.
• Change your address. You obviously want your mail to be sent to your new home. Setting up a forwarding address will also ensure that you can be reached if there are any post-closing matters.

Congratulations, you have sold your home! Give yourself a pat on the back — and then start settling into your new phase of life.

JUDY HA
Blackrock Investments and Finance, Inc.
direct (951) 963-4023 | cell (626) 731-4485 |fax (626) 529-0850
email  judyha19@gmail.com | web  http://www.realtorjudyha.com
CA DRE: 01884583
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