Closings

Steps for Closing on a House

The closing process begins after a buyer signs the contract of sale. In the weeks following, the homebuyer should expect to navigate the following steps with their attorney to officially close on their house:

1. Arrange an escrow account. This is an account monitored by a third party in which the buyer will place the money (“earnest money”) and documents related to the sale. After everything has been settled, the money and documents will be transferred from the escrow account to the seller and buyer. The purpose of such an account is to increase confidence between both parties that everything is under control and not being manipulated or withheld.
2. Title search and insurance. Title search is the process of examining public records to confirm the property’s legal ownership and whether there are any claims on the property. Title insurance is indemnity insurance protecting the holder from any financial loss that may be sustained due to defects in a title to a property. Title search and insurance mainly protect the buyer so no one else can try to claim the property in the future.
3. Negotiate the closing costs. Keep in mind that there are many costs associated with a closing, including home and pest inspections and junk fees from a lender. An attorney can better help ensure that the buyer is not being taken advantage of with inflated fees.
4. Home and pest inspection. These are two different but necessary inspection processes that can help a buyer locate any problems with the property. If they do discover issues, they can back out of the deal, ask the seller to remedy the problem, or request money from the seller to remedy it themselves (e.g., having the seller pay for pest elimination services prior to the purchase).
5. Deposit additional funds into escrow. The “earnest money” in the escrow account will be applied to the down payment, but the buyer must also arrange for the rest of the required funds before the closing. Failing to do so may result in a cancellation of the sale.
6. The final walk-through. The buyer and the attorney should look over the property one more time and verify the seller has completed what they’ve been asked of for repairs. The buyer and attorney should also make sure nothing has been modified or removed in the purchase agreemen
7. Understand the paperwork. The legal jargon of real estate papers can be difficult to understand, but an experienced closing attorney can help to explain all the relevant legal terms and conditions that apply to the transaction. The fine print determines the future of the home and the buyer-seller relationship, so it is critical to understand what each word and page establishes.

Get Started on Your Closing Today

The timeline for a closing depends on several factors, such as how long the home inspection will take, the type of property being purchased, and how the buyer is paying for the purchase. Typically, closing on a house can take a couple of weeks to months. Nonetheless, the more time a buyer and their attorney take to ensure the property is adequate for purchase, the safer they might feel about the future of the property.

Chiariello & Chiariello has between working with clients on real estate closings for decades, and the lawyers at the firm are more than prepared to walk you through every step of the closing process in New York. From helping you negotiate a favorable offer to parsing the purchasing paperwork, Chiariello & Chiariello can assist you with all your closing needs and help you kickstart this exciting new chapter of your life as a property owner.