Posted in Sell Your House

As a house seller, there isn’t a bigger relief than to finally close on selling your house. You managed to find the right buyer and got the deal you wanted, so there are just a few steps to go through and you will be ready to move on. After all you’ve been through to sell this house, you probably see the closing as the easiest part. Well, it can be, if everything runs smoothly, but it’s usually easier said than done. It’s best to prepare for worst case scenarios or at least know what things could go wrong so you can be prepared to handle them. Don’t know what to watch out for when you are closing on your house sale in Maryland? Then the following details may prove to be more than useful:

Take care of all the repairs you have to do

If the buyer agreement states that you are going to take care of making the repairs necessary to pass on the house in good condition, then you should do them now. It is true that no one feels motivated to work on a house that is almost sold, but leaving the repairs to the last minute is not a good option at all. Make sure you allow sufficient time to make all the needed repairs or there may be problems during the buyer’s final walkthrough. Save all the invoices released by the contractors you hired and receipts for the items you purchased so you will have proof of everything you did in case the buyer contests the repairs before you actually close the deal.

Get ready for the final walkthrough

Just before the closing, in most cases 24 hours prior to the closing, the buyer accompanied by his agent will walk through each room of the house. You should not be present at the final walkthrough, which doesn’t last for more than half an hour in most cases. Make sure that everything is in order. They will look to see whether you repaired what you promised to repair and if the house has any major issues that they don’t know about. If they find something wrong, you will be notified right away, getting the chance to repair the problem or settle for a trade.

Check out the closing documents

If everything goes according to plan, all you’re left to do is to read and sign papers to close your house sale in Maryland. Although it may not be that exciting to read all the papers, do know that some are more important than others. For instance, you need to read the settlement statement, because it contains the amount of money you agreed upon with the buyer and the tax implications of earning such a sum through selling your house. You’ll have to check the numbers to see whether they correspond with your verbal agreement, so you can point out any issues to your attorney or real estate agent in a timely manner.

Renegotiations

There are cases in which the buyer would like to renegotiate right before closing. No one wishes to get to this point, but you might just listen to what the buyer has to say since you gotten this far. Maybe you can settle if you agree to offer the dishwasher and dryer. If the buyer wishes to get a smaller price, then maybe there’s no other option but to delay the closing until you manage to reach another settlement or find a solution to the problem. It’s easier to negotiate than file an expensive, time consuming lawsuit.

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