• Open escrow: Ask an impartial third party—escrow company, lawyer—to hold the money and documents related to the sale until all questions are answered, t’s are crossed, and i’s are dotted. • Title search and insurance: This is a legal safeguard that assures the buyer that the property is unencumbered by liens, taxes, or any disputes. The title search, and the insurance that protects that search, is conducted by a title company that researches the deed and makes sure the seller owns the property and has the legal right to sell it. Any title claims and questions must be resolved before you can close. • Remove contingencies: All sale contingencies—inspection, appraisal, etc.—must be resolved and removed before the deal can close. • Final walk-through: The day before or morning of your closing, the buyer will walk through your home to make sure nothing changed or was removed since he signed the contract, and that all repairs were completed as negotiated.
WHO COMES TO THE CLOSING TABLE
You can bring as many people as you want to hold your hand during closing; also, you can close most deals remotely via digitally-signed contract apps. If you’re actually attending the closing, I suggest that you keep your entourage small, because the room will typically be fairly crowded, and you could spend hours there. Generally, these folks will attend the closing.
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