Buying a house is a priority for every individual, but the process can be time taking and tiring. It might take months for you to find the right house with all the features that you want. However, your journey doesn’t end here. You still have to finalize the deal. In other words, you need to work on the closing process. Before you finalize any designs in your home, you need to have the property transferred to your name.
The closing process for house purchases has no fixed time limit. Sometimes, it takes weeks. However, at other times, transferring the property from a seller to the buyer could take months. There are several factors affecting the processing time such as title closing and mortgage portion. It is crucial to understand various aspects of the closing process while buying a home.
Which Parties are Present While Closing a Deal?
During the closing process, the seller and buyer need to be present. The deal is directly linked to both parties. Apart from these two, you need legal representatives for both sides.
Lawyers or legal representatives are there to help you avoid any future complications. Similarly, if a person secured a reverse mortgage loan, the lender should be part of the meeting. These are some of the necessary attendees of a closing deal. You can’t go ahead without them.
What Steps do Buyers Need to Take During the Closing Process?
It might be your first experience closing a deal for a home, so you need to be aware of the following things:
An Inspection of the Home
Hire an inspector before finalizing a house because you might not be able to see the flaws that a professional will be able to spot. An experienced inspector will check every corner and make sure that there are no serious issues within the property.
Before buying a new home, you need to check for pests and other problems. You might not be able to spot a pest problem in your home, but a professional will identify it. In fact,
Renegotiate Contract Terms
Looking at a new home, again and again, enables you to see its flaws. If you find any kind of major or minor flaws within a residential property, renegotiate the terms. You can renegotiate the price because you will need to spend a lot of money fixing the flaws.
Try to talk with the other party, and if they do not agree to the new terms, back out of the deal.
Open an Escrow Account
Before finalizing a purchase, buyers need to open an escrow account. It is a neutral account that involves all the transactions done during the process. The deposit and other relevant cash are kept safe in this account till the deal isn’t final.
You can think of an escrow account as a type of forced savings. When the money is safe in a bank, you won’t risk spending it elsewhere.
Complete the Mortgage Application
Purchasing an entire house requires a significant sum of money, which you might not have. Therefore, you can take a loan in advance. Before you begin searching for a home, make sure your mortgage application is in process.
The lender will ask for various documents like bank statements, house papers, and tax returns. It’s better to have these papers ready beforehand so that no one rejects your application.
Getting an idea about the loan terms, closing costs, and loan amount give clarity about your budget.
Search about the Title and Homeowners Insurance
Don’t purchase a home that has multiple owners. Try to search for title insurance to see if anyone else can claim the property you are about to purchase. If you feel that the property is safe, make a down payment.
Note the Time for Closing Documents
Homeowners applying for a loan should not wait long after their request is approved. When you have the cash, try to close the deal. For this, your attorney will come in handy. He will inform you about the closing date, time, and what sort of paperwork is needed.
Some attorneys provide closing disclosure that outlines all the relevant payment details. If you spend unnecessary time thinking about the deal, you might lose the opportunity to buy your dream home.
Sign the Transfer Papers
After careful analysis, the only thing left to do is the final sign. The closing process ends with this step, and the home officially belongs to you. However, the document can be lengthy. Still, read every clause to be sure nothing goes against you.
Check if the contract has any penalties on late payments and if the interest rate is correct. Closing a deal isn’t a piece of cake. You spend thousands of dollars, and you should be sure that your purchase is worth the money. Don’t take decisions in haste because they can, later on, result in financial losses.
