Close the Deal

Your negotiations were successful and you have a legally binding agreement. But, is the house truly sold? Not quite yet. It’s time for the vital final steps known as “closing.” Your REALTOR® and lawyer will do most of the work Thank goodness. Closing a deal involves many, many complicated and time-consuming legal maneuvers. Which is why you’ve hired pros.

Your Closing Checklist

You still have plenty to do yourself and here’s a comprehensive list.

	Contact your lawyer and notify them an agreement has been signed. Make sure they’re ready to close the transaction.		Call your insurance agent and arrange cancellation or transfer of your homeowner’s insurance. If the home you are selling will be vacant for more than two or three days, make sure your insurance company is notified.
	Immediately begin satisfying any conditions of the agreement that require action on your part. They have definitive dates for completion and failure to do so can result in a lot of hassles, or even spoil the whole deal.		Contact a moving company to arrange your move on or prior to closing date.
	Notify your lawyer and lending institution if the buyer is assuming your mortgage.		Send out your change of address notices and advise the post office. Notify the Ministry of Transportation about your new address for driver’s license and registration.
	Contact the utilities, telephone and cable companies about transfer or removal of service. Note: Your lawyer will often handle the transfer of utilities.		Notify your REALTOR® immediately if anything changes about your property or your situation.

Contact With Your Lawyer

If you plan to “discharge” or pay off your mortgage with proceeds of the sale, your lawyer will obtain a statement from your lender showing your outstanding balance on the mortgage and any penalties you’ll have to pay to discharge the mortgage.

A few days before closing, your lawyer will ask you to sign the paperwork that enables the title to be transferred to the buyer.

On closing day, your lawyer will receive and distribute the proceeds from the sale, pay off your mortgage and other costs and give you a cheque for the net proceeds.

Congratulations!

You should be pleased that all your hard work paid off. We hope these ten steps helped make it easier. You’ve probably already used the proceeds from your sale to purchase your next property. A very wise move indeed, because as you know, home ownership is one of the best long-term investments you’ll ever make.

Next Step: Real Estate Terms