Selling a home is an extensive process that requires you to check a wide variety of boxes. One of the boxes that need to be checked is the choosing of the closing date. The date that you choose can affect not only how long you’re allowed to stay in your house before moving but it can also affect the manner in which the real estate transaction is carried out.
So, how do you choose a closing date? We’re going to tell you how below. Here are the things to do when choosing a closing date for your home.
Determine the Move-in Date of Your Next Residence
First and foremost, you need to determine the move-in date for your next residence. This way, you’ll be moved out of your current home before moving into your next one. This will keep you from having to make two house payments in a single month.
Let’s say you’re scheduled to move into your new residence on August 20th. Now, you don’t want to move too long after this date, as you would essentially be wasting money. However, you can’t move before it, unless, of course, you put all of your possessions in storage and stay with someone else for a while; but that’s inconvenient, to say the least.
So, you have to find a nice middle ground. Generally speaking, it’s wise to choose a closing date that’s 10 to 14 days before the move-in date of your next residence.
Why so far before the move-in date? Because, after the house has been closed, you’ll need to set a move-out date. The move-out date is generally 2 to 4 weeks after the closing date.
So, by setting the closing date 10 to 14 days before your move-in date, you’ll be right on time with your move-in. You won’t be paying two mortgage payments for a month, and you won’t find yourself stranded between homes.
Wait Ample Time After the Offer Date
Once an offer has been accepted on a house, the buyer needs to facilitate a variety of different processes before the house can be closed on. These processes take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Therefore, it’s best to set your closing date a good 30 to 45 days after you’ve accepted the offer on the house. This enables the buyer to complete necessary work with little pressure, all the while ensuring that every piece of the transaction goes through before the closing date arrives.
Of course, you could wait even longer than 45 days. However, the longer you wait, the more mortgage payments you’ll have to make on your existing house.
Avoid the Ends of Work Weeks
Another tip to utilize when choosing a closing date is to avoid the ends of work weeks. This generally means Fridays. However, during the holiday season, it can also mean the last working day before holiday vacation kicks in.
Why should you avoid closing on these dates? Because, oftentimes, on these dates, those involved in the real estate transaction are just trying to make it to their day off. Therefore, they don’t always take the transaction seriously and might even rush through it just as a means of getting it done.
Closing on a house is a big deal that involves the exchange of a lot of money. The last thing you want is for those involved in the transaction to approach it anything less than extremely seriously. Schedule the close in the middle of the week and ensure that it’s getting every pertinent party’s full attention.
Avoid the Ends of Months
Not only should you avoid the ends of work weeks but the ends of months as well. See, lenders and title officers are generally fairly swamped toward the ends of each month. This is because it’s an extremely common time for housing transactions to be closed out.
Do you want the close carried out under tremendous amounts of pressure? The risk of making mistakes is heightened. So too is the chance of someone cutting corners.
Again, you want full focus on your house closing from all of the parties involved. Therefore, it’s wise to choose a date that’s at the beginning or middle of the month, when relatively few housing transactions are being made.
Be Prepared for Changes
While it’s ideal for the house to close on your chosen closing date, things don’t always work out that way. In some cases, lenders don’t get around to submitting the proper paperwork in time. In other cases, the title officers drop the ball.
Therefore, when coming up with a closing date, it’s vital that you prepare yourself for changes. In fact, it might even be wise to choose a backup date in the event that your original date doesn’t work out.
If you do decide to choose a backup date, shoot for approximately a week after your original date. Then, when the time comes, you can pull it forward or push it back as needed.
Pick Your Ideal Closing Date by Selling to Cash Buyers
Wouldn’t it be great to close on your home whenever you feel like closing on it? By selling a home as is to cash buyers, you can.
Looking for fast cash home buyers in Long Beach? Look no further than our company, Fast Cash Home Buyers. By selling your home to us, we’ll ensure that you get the closing date of your choosing.
Contact us now to start the selling process!