The house closing process for sellers can be just as stressful as it is for buyers, if you’re not working with the right people. Generally speaking, the house closing process follows a pretty standard, but tedious process.
This can be a lot of work, from getting the buyer’s financing in order, to filing and filing all the required paperwork, to working with any third parties involved. At Trusted House Buyers, we handle almost every piece of the home closing process, including covering all closing costs, to make this as smooth and stress-free as possible for homeowners.
- Payment Handling
Usually, the first thing to happen once an offer has been accepted on a property is to set up a fair and impartial way to protect both parties. Usually that is a third party financial service, like an escrow account. This is where the money sits, with neither the buyer nor the seller having direct access to it, and should an issue arise, the third party will be able to distribute it to the rightful owners accordingly. If you’re not working with a trusted home buyer, this is the safest way to exchange large sums of money.
- Title Search
The second thing to happen, in most cases, is a title search. This is where agents of both parties will look into the history of the title for the property and ensure that there are no outlying issues in regards to the properties ownership. In a traditional sale, issues with the title could very well delay the sale, if not stop it completely, costing both parties a significant amount of time and money.
- Mortgage Appraisal
The next step of the house closing process for sellers is a mortgage appraisal. For banks or mortgage lenders to justify the lending of large sums of money, they have to first agree that the sum being lent is reasonable. To do that, they check out the property and value it, based on their findings. If they agree to offer a loan that covers the full cost of the sales price, then everything can proceed. If they don’t, then either the buyer needs to find another way to cover the remaining costs, or the seller needs to lower the amount.
This is where working with a cash buyer like us can be beneficial. We work directly with homeowners to get them a fair deal for their home, no matter what state it is in, without the need for an appraisal or outside third parties to finance the purchase.
- Inspections
As well as the mortgage appraisal, there are other professionals that are often utilized in the house closing process. Pest inspections and general home inspections are often carried out to vet the quality of the home. This ensures there will be no problem for the buyer down the line, and that the property is a sound investment.
There are some buyers that will purchase a property as-in, regardless of the condition. This is different from the standard house closing process, as both parties skip the inspection process and additional costs associated. For houses that would often require major repairs in order for a traditional market sale, this can be a good route for saving money on improvements and give you, as the seller, the most cash in your pocket at the end of the sale.
- Final Walk Through
After the professional inspections are over, the next step will be for the buyer and their agents to have a final inspection of the property on their own terms. This is usually the last thing that is done before the official transfer of ownership of the property.
Any issues that are found or any unmet contingencies that come up are dealt with here, which unfortunately can cause further delay on closing the deal and lower the amount of money you receive. For buyers like us, we work directly with your family to get you a cash offer on your home often just hours after an initial walk through.
- Signing Over the deed
After all of the inspections are complete and all parties are happy with the transaction, it is finally time to sign over the deed to the property to the buyer. Funds can be taken from the agents or from the escrow account, if one has been used to maintain a fair and safe exchange, and then everyone receives their part of the sale.
- Closing Costs Settled Between Both Parties
Once both the seller and the buyer are happy with the sale of the house, there has to be an agreement on the allocation of closing costs. In a traditional sale, both the buyer and the seller will pay for the fees involved in the closing of the sale, with the buyer usually paying a slightly higher percentage than the seller. But in the case of Trusted House Buyers – we cover all closing costs associated, period.
So reach out to us today if you’re looking to sell your home, and don’t want to deal with the stress and headache of going the traditional route. We streamline the whole process, making it straightforward and hassle-free.
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