Finding the California home of your dreams represents only the first step in your home buying process. You must then make a purchase offer and possibly deal with the seller’s counter-offer. You will also need to obtain mortgage financing and possibly have to pay for a home inspection.
As the Home Buying Institute explains, after you do all these things, you then will arrive at the final step of the home buying process; i.e., your real estate closing. This is the meeting where the seller passes legal title of the property to you.
Closing step by step
In general, you can expect your closing to follow the following six steps:
- You will sign several legal documents that your escrow agent will provide.
- You will give your escrow agent a cashier’s check in the amount of your closing costs.
- Your mortgage company representative will give your escrow agent a check in the amount of your mortgage loan.
- Your escrow agent will give the seller a check in the amount of the sale proceeds (s)he is entitled to receive.
- The seller will sign a warranty deed giving you clear title to the property and will give you a set of keys if you do not already have one.
- Your title insurance company representative will get the warranty deed so (s)he can have it recorded in the Recorder of Deeds’ office prior to sending it back to you.
Your home buying process is now complete. You own your new dream home and can start moving into it.
While you should not interpret this information as legal advice, it can help you understand the steps involved in your real estate closing and what you can expect.