Austin Real Estate Team

Closing the sale of your Austin home to a new buyer will be your final act in this drama. It will be done at a title company office, and it is the responsibility of the title firm to generate all the paperwork. However, you will want to request that you have time to review the paperwork the day before to insure that it is all correct and there are no barriers to the final closing.

Make sure your realtor takes the responsibility to insure that the title company did the paperwork right, and that you get a chance to review it. If there is a mistake it can be fixed beforehand, rather than being found at the time you and the buyer are bumping knees around the table. Any delay in closing may give the buyer time to think about backing out, and that happens more frequently than you might suspect.

Determine before you go to closing how long you need to move out. If your realtor is reasonably certain the closing will happen, you can start packing as soon as it is scheduled--meaning day, date and time is set.

If you need anywhere from 4 to 7 days, put it in writing to the buyer and ask the realtor to secure the buyer's approval for that time you need. Most buyers have to do their own packing and moving, so you'll probably get their agreement.

The realtor will be paid his or her commission at the closing. It is usually 6% of the closing price, and may be split with the buyer's agent. All expenses for marketing your home are covered by that commission, unless you agree to pay expenses separately and have it deducted at closing.

When the closing is done, take a deep breath and silently congratulate yourself for having survived one of life's most trying, yet exciting events. Selling a home.