Details On Real Estate Closing Virginia

By Virginia Powell


Closing is also known as settlement and is the legal transfer of ownership of property. Normally, but not all the time, possession will be transferred during closing. There are instances when a seller might ask to close the sale but still retain possession, and then pay rent to the buyer until such a time that they vacate the property. When considering real estate closing Virginia residents need to know what it involves.

Among the first very important things is to try and stay organized. The process involves various steps but it usually is the duty of an agent to help their client to make the steps easier. When dealing with agents, they are able to guide you through the process. Contingencies is an aspect that should be clearly understood. They are the conditions included with offers and which should be fulfilled before any deal gets closed. For example, a buyer can submit their offer with a home inspection contingency.

There is what is referred to as earnest money. This is the money delivered some 1 to 3 days after a seller accepts an offer for the home. The money is delivered to a title or escrow company that will hold it for the period of the transaction.

It can also be referred to as a good faith deposit and ranges between 1 to 3 percent of the sales price of the home. It is applied towards closing costs of buyers. In case the buyer decides to get out of the deal for what is not covered by the contingency, they are supposed to forfeit the earnest money.

There could then be scheduling of home inspection. This happens unless of course the home inspection contingency was waived or in cases where the home was inspected before making of an offer. An inspector gives a buyer an accurate representation of what the condition of the house is. If there are any major issues, they are identified to enable negotiations to proceed confidently.

The issue of home appraisal is very important too. Unless the buyer is paying in cash, they will get mortgage. Their mortgage lender then asks for a home appraisal. In case the home fails to appraise, which means the bank does not think it is worth what is being offered, the buyer has to decide what to do. Home appraisal contingency will allow a buyer to back out of a deal at this point, or they can renegotiate a new price which both parties are happy with.

Title insurance offers protection against losses in case a problem arises with the title after the home is purchased. For the majority of purchases, there will be two parties that require title insurance. They are the home buyer and lender. In case a buyer has financing contingency and is not able to get a loan for the purchase, they are free to get out of the purchase and get back the earnest money.

The closing is done at the office if the title company. It is the duty of the company to verify current legal owner of the property in question. At the same time, they will reveal any unpaid taxes and liens. Should there be restrictions that could affect the sale, they are also identified.




About the Author: