Overview
Once a buyer's offer is accepted, the work shifts from presenting the home to meeting the commitments in the purchase contract. The last stretch is mostly logistics: documents, appointments, movers and keys. Handled in order, it can be quiet and unhurried. This checklist keeps the steps in sequence.
Every sale follows its own purchase contract and escrow instructions. Dates, who does what and when possession transfers are set there, not here. When this page and your contract differ, the contract controls. Questions about the contract's legal effect belong with a real estate attorney; questions about escrow steps belong with your escrow officer.
What to have ready
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Planning tool
Closing Countdown
Your own dates from the contract and escrow, with the page's checklists grouped around them.
Wire fraud schemes target real estate transactions with convincing emails. Verify any change in payment instructions by phone with your escrow officer, using a number from your original paperwork.
Add your dates from your contract and escrow
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Where things stand
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Your own dates, for planning. Dates and possession follow your contract and escrow instructions.
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In escrow
Early in escrow
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Sidney tracks the contract dates and keeps you, the buyer's agent and escrow informed. The disclosures overview covers the forms most sellers deliver.
Responding to requests
After inspections, a buyer may ask for repairs, credits or other changes. These requests are part of the negotiation, not a requirement.
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If this, then that:
- If a request is for a repair, then agree in writing on its scope, who performs it and what evidence of completion the buyer will see.
- If a request is for a credit, then ask your escrow officer how it will appear on the settlement statement.
- If you decline a request, then ask Sidney what the contract allows each side to do next.
Two to three weeks out
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If you are moving to a smaller home or leaving the area, the downsizing and relocation pages explain how Sidney helps coordinate the sale with the move.
Signing
Escrow will prepare the seller documents and arrange signing.
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That last point matters. Wire fraud schemes target real estate transactions with convincing emails. Verify any change in payment instructions by phone with your escrow officer, using a number from your original paperwork.
On transfer tax: Ask your escrow officer or a real estate attorney who pays the transfer tax under your purchase contract.
Moving out
A note on art, collections and fragile pieces
Fine art, antiques, instruments and collections usually deserve their own plan, separate from the household move.
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Decide early whether any fixture with artistic or historic value, such as a chandelier, a mantel or built-in shelving, is staying or going, and make sure the contract says so. Settle any question in writing during escrow rather than on moving day.
Moving out
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Handing over a well-kept home
A home with extensive grounds or complex systems benefits from a short written guide for the buyer, prepared as a courtesy. Consider including:
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Privacy at the close
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In practice. Owners often find the last morning the most crowded. Finishing the cleaning, the key list and the house guide a day early leaves the final walkthrough calm.
Finishing the cleaning, the key list and the house guide a day early leaves the final walkthrough calm.
Final walkthrough and keys
Many contracts give the buyer a chance to walk through the home before closing.
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After escrow closes, keep your copy of the closing documents with your tax records. Ask a CPA how long to keep them and whether anything from the sale needs to be reported.
Selling from out of town? The Journal note What steps do I need to take to sell my home remotely? covers remote signing and coordination.
Questions
Common pitfalls
Booking movers before the possession date is settled.
Read the possession terms first.
Verbal agreements.
Every change belongs in a signed amendment.
Acting on emailed wiring instructions.
Always verify by phone at a known number.
Removing fixtures that are included.
Check the contract before taking a chandelier or a mounted piece.
Leaving smart devices linked.
Remove your accounts so the new owner, and you, keep your privacy.
Questions to bring to your advisers
Your escrow officer
When will I see the estimated settlement statement? How will proceeds reach me, and how do I confirm the instructions? Who pays the transfer tax under our contract?
A real estate attorney
What is the legal effect of any rent-back or early-possession arrangement?
Your CPA
Which closing documents should I keep, and is there anything from the sale to report?
Frequently asked questions
When do I have to be out of the home?
Your purchase contract sets when the buyer takes possession. It may be at closing, or the parties may agree to a different arrangement in writing. Read the possession terms with Sidney early in escrow so movers can be booked on time. If you need more time after closing, raise it before you sign, and ask a real estate attorney about the legal effect of any arrangement.
What should I leave behind for the buyer?
Leave what your contract says is included, along with keys, remotes, manuals and warranties. Items not included should be removed. If you are unsure about a specific item, such as a mounted television or a light fixture, ask Sidney before moving day. Settling those questions in writing during escrow avoids surprises at the final walkthrough.
How do I protect myself from wire fraud?
Treat any email that changes payment or wiring instructions as suspicious. Call your escrow officer at a phone number from your original paperwork, not one in the email, before acting. Avoid sending bank details by ordinary email. If something feels wrong, stop and call escrow and Sidney. A short pause is far easier than recovering misdirected funds.
Can I sign closing documents if I am out of town?
Often, yes. Escrow companies commonly arrange signings with a mobile notary or by other methods they accept. Tell your escrow officer and Sidney early where you will be during the signing window so documents can be prepared and shipped in time. Your escrow officer will explain the options available for your transaction.
Can I stay in the home for a time after closing?
Sometimes. A rent-back, in which the seller stays after closing, is an arrangement the buyer and seller may agree to in writing as part of the contract. Its terms, such as length, deposit and condition, are negotiated. Raise it before the contract is signed, and ask a real estate attorney about the legal effect of any arrangement.
How should I move art and collections?
Separately from the household move, with a written plan. Inventory and photograph each piece, ask your insurance agent how coverage applies in transit and storage, and ask any mover about crating and climate control in writing. Schedule valuable pieces to leave first. Confirm in the contract which fixtures with artistic value stay with the home.
What should I do about smart home devices and cameras?
Remove your accounts from thermostats, locks, cameras, speakers and other connected devices before handing over the keys, and reset them as your contract and Sidney direct. Delete saved codes and remove your devices from the home network. Leaving accounts linked can expose your information and leave the new owner without control of their home.
Official sources
This page describes general practice only and makes no legal or regulatory statements beyond the standing transfer tax line above. For contract and escrow questions, ask your escrow officer or a real estate attorney.
Getting close to closing, or planning ahead? Use the "Ask Sidney about your home" card on this page to send a private note.
When you would like a second set of eyes
If you are in escrow and would like a calm checklist conversation for the final weeks, Sidney is glad to help.
Sidney Manzo, licensed real estate agent, in real estate since 1990. CA DRE #01108914. RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193.
