The Closing Day

This is it. For the past weeks or months, every day has been at least partially spent thinking of, preparing for or planning this fateful day. You’ve laboured long and hard to make sure it comes without incident, and now all your hard work is finally going to pay off. What is this day, you ask? It’s closing day, baby.

Now, there’s still a lot you’ll need to do in order to make sure that this day comes and goes without incident. Whether you’re buying or selling, there’s a lot that can go wrong on the closing day, and it’s largely up to you to make sure that things don’t veer off course. So what are you going to need to do to make this happen?

The answer is “a lot”. There is a laundry list of things you’ll need to remember to do, from making sure you’ve got the proper documentation on hand ahead of time to remembering to get enough sleep the night before to making sure your expectations are met. With all these things to remember, you’re going to need a bit of help; how about a checklist?

That’s right: in this article, we’ve gone ahead and put together a handy checklist that will help you remain aware of everything you need to know, do, bring and remember on the crucial closing day. Let’s get started!

Closing day checklist

If you’re a first-time home buyer, there’s a good chance you haven’t the slightest clue what you’ll need to do or bring on closing day. If that’s the case, don’t worry! Whether this is your first time or you’ve done this before, there’s no shame in having a handy checklist that will help you make sure you’ve got everything together before closing. This is that checklist! 

Get a good night’s sleep

When you’ve got an event like buying a home on the horizon, you’re going to want to be in the best shape possible, both physically and mentally, when it transpires. There’s a lot that goes towards making this a reality, but it’s an inarguable fact that the best way to insure this is by getting a good night’s sleep the night prior to the occurrence.

There’s a tremendous amount of evidence to support the conclusion that sleep is causally linked to one’s ability to function at peak capacity. Without sufficient sleep, you’ll suffer from impaired memory, motor function and a lessened ability to maintain your concentration. After having gotten the proper amount of sleep, however, things will be precisely reversed.

With this in mind, it’s important that, before you take on the momentous task of closing on a home, you’ll want to get a good night’s sleep. Go to bed early, and set an alarm that will allow you to get 7-9 hours of sleep at a minimum. If you want to achieve peak performance, be sure to start your day with a healthy meal that includes well balanced amounts of foods from each of the essential food groups.

Get your documents together

The first thing you’re going to want to do on the closing day is gather all the documents you’ll need to complete your purchase, and put them in a handy storage container such as a file folder, briefcase or other protective storage solution. What documents are you going to need to bring, you ask? Let’s take a look.

On the closing day, you will probably need the following documents at a bare minimum:

• Drivers licence or state issued ID
• Proof of homeowner’s insurance as stipulated by your mortgage agreement
• Any requested home inspection reports
• The contract of sale agreed upon by you and the seller 
• Cash or a cashier’s check to pay closing costs

Once you have these documents, be sure to check with the real estate agent facilitating the sale in order to make sure that you have any additional documentation that may be required. The documents required to complete the sale of a home may differ depending on which state you live in, so it’s best to be safe rather than sorry. And, while we’re on the subject… 

Meet with or talk to your real estate agent

Before you complete your home buying transaction, you should schedule a meeting with the real estate agent facilitating the sale, in order to make sure everything is in order. While things should probably be ready to go at this point, it never hurts to be too sure. If you can’t meet in person before the sale, at least give them a call. They’re the one who is going to be going to whatever lengths necessary to close the deal; make sure you’re both on the same page!

Once you’ve gotten in touch with your real estate agent, ask them any questions you may have, and make sure you know exactly how the events preceding and following the sale will occur. Make sure they understand any questions you have, that you’ve negotiated the closing costs effectively, and have duly allayed any concerns you might have had.

This will help you avoid any last minute hassles you might run into, and help you hastily prepare for anything you forgot to plan for. Again, all of this should have been done beforehand, but when a life-altering event like the sale of a home is on the line, it’s worth the time spent to spend a few minutes talking to your real estate agent about the sale. Under such circumstances, any tips your realtor can give you will be invaluable. 

Do a final walk-through

Once you arrive at your soon-to-be new home, be sure to do a final walkthrough of the home and property, just to make sure that no unexpected surprises await you after you sign the papers. Be as vigilant as you can, and keep an eye out for anything that looks out of order. If you’ve come this far, you probably won’t find anything, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

If you have a suspicion that something might be off with the structural integrity of the home, the condition of the appliances or other such minutiae, you might also want to bring a contractor or similarly experienced expert. If you’ve got a friend in the business of building or servicing homes, bring them along for the ride.

When doing your final walkthrough, it’s important to be as polite and deferential as possible, so as to avoid sending the wrong message to the seller. After all, you don’t want to give them the impression that you’re having buyer’s remorse about the property this late in the process, now do you? 

Sign the documents

Now that everything else is over and done with, you’ve got one final and incredibly important step left to complete: signing the documents and taking ownership of your new home. This isn't going to be particularly difficult, nor will it take very long. Nevertheless, it will probably be one of the single most important moments in your life.

After you sign the documents and claim ownership of the property, you’ll be free to move in as soon as you see fit. It’ll be your house, and no one will be able to say anything to the contrary. You renovate your new home, or you can redecorate it. You can even refurnish it if you’d like! The possibilities are endless when you’re a homeowner.

This momentous occasion will usher in a new era in your life; one in which you’ll learn, discover and grow as a person. This is your time to explore new horizons and familiarize yourself with all of the ins and outs of this new world you’ve just become a part of. You may buy and sell more homes throughout your lifetime, but this one will always hold a special place in your heart. 

Conclusion

Owning a home is not a particularly easy thing, nor is always carefree and easy. There will be bumps along the way, and hiccups in your home owning journey. But when you lie down in your own bed to sleep, under the cozy roof and between the cozy walls of your own home, trust us: you won’t trade it for anything.

If you’re just starting out on your new life as a homeowner, you’ll benefit greatly from the sage advice of more experienced real estate experts. If you take the time to find a real estate agent near you, you’ll find their vast knowledge on home buying, selling and maintenance of the utmost value. Do yourself a favor and get in touch with a real estate agent today!

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