Whether you’re dealing with difficult real estate negotiations that you’re eager to be done with, or you’re trying to stay as COVID-19 friendly as possible, your real estate closing process might look a bit different.
Whatever the case may be, you might be wondering who needs to be present the day of your closing. No need to fear. Here at Rochford Law & Real Estate Title, we’ve compiled a list of everything you need to know to be fully prepared for your closing. With the right real estate attorney on your side, you can rest assured that your closing process will go as smoothly as possible.
Here’s what you need to know about your residential closing process:
- Closing Stipulations
- Remote Closings with Online Notaries
- What You Need to Bring to Closing
- Contact Rochford Law & Real Estate Title
Closing Stipulations
When it comes to your closing day, there’s no reason for both buyers and sellers to be in the same room at the same time. As a buyer, while you will need to have everyone present who have or will play a role in this property with you — this can include spouses, business partners, your real estate attorney and more — you won’t be expected to sign at the same time and place as the seller. In fact, you won’t even be expected to sign the paperwork on the same day.
Buyers and sellers can have separate closings, whether at a title company or at an attorney's office. During the beginning stages of the pandemic, many title companies started allowing their clients to sit in different rooms in order to protect themselves from the virus. A seller who has moved out of state can have their paperwork notarized and mailed back, or in some cases, sellers can even sign the paperwork online. Fortunately for sellers, the absence of loan paperwork often lights the load of paperwork needed at close. With that in mind, if you’ve been dealing with a tricky buyer-seller relationship, or one party no longer lives in the same area, separate closings are legally permitted.
Contact Rochford Law & Real Estate Title today to learn more about our closing support services!
Remote Closings with Online Notaries
In today’s digital world, and thanks to the pandemic, many states now allow remote closings with the help of online notaries. With an ability to close real estate transactions 100% remotely, you won’t even need to worry about scheduling an in-person signing day. In remote closings, you sign documents using a web portal, such as DocuSign, or another digital service. Alternatively, you can print, sign. and scan back your signed documents.
In this case, a digital signature will be as valid as a handwritten signature on paper. With a mobile notary, closing documents can be brought to your home and completion can be handled right there in your living room. It is also possible to receive the documents by mail, then sign them with a notary present and return them. With so many options to go about a remote closing, a qualified real estate attorney will be able to make sure everything is handled efficiently and legally so you don’t have to.
Private Closings
Another way to close remotely is to visit a title company branch office and sign the documents there without the seller present. Like we said earlier, during the beginning stages of the pandemic, title companies separated both buyers and sellers during the closing process.
Aside from sanitizing rooms, providing brand new pens for signers, and other social distancing measures, buyers and sellers were able to privately close on their real estate transaction without ever having to see one another. With similar practices still in place, if you and your seller do still live in the same area, but want to avoid further contact, you can complete a private closing.
What You Need to Bring to Closing
When it comes to close on your residential property, there are a few things you’ll want to bring with you. With the help of a real estate attorney, you can take the extra measures to ensure you do not miss a step and further elongate your closing process. In order to be best prepared for your real estate closing, you’ll want to bring at least the following:
- Photo ID
- Cashier's Check and/or Wiring Instructions
- The Closing Disclosure
- Proof Of Insurance
- Professional Representation
Contact Rochford Law & Real Estate Title
A real estate attorney can help mitigate any risks that arise throughout your entire real estate transaction. From master deed filing, to zoning approval, renegotiated contracts and even your closing process, a real estate attorney can help with any challenging scenarios that come up from start to finish.
Contact Rochford Law & Real Estate Title today!
