It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling your home as a short sale or as a traditional sale—your checklist for getting the job done will be identical. There are certain things that every responsible seller should do, and you can make sure you accomplish them all if you make a home-selling checklist.
Your closing checklist will come into play after all your personal belongings and furniture have been removed from your home. Not every seller is required by law to empty the property prior to or on the day of closing, but most people find that they can’t begin to wrap up the process until everything is out of the house.
Closing Checklist
- Gather Up All Those Documents
Retain all executed seller disclosures as well as the purchase contract and the closing statement. Ideally, your escrow officer or closing agent will hand you a complete package containing all these things at closing, but don’t rely on it.
You might find some of these documents scattered about in your car or at your office. Gather them up and tuck them all together in a safe place. It’s conceivable that you might need them again if a bill was left unpaid or if the buyer becomes angry or some reason and hires a lawyer.
- Clean the House
If you don’t have time to personally clean the home before leaving it, then at least hire a professional cleaning service to do so. How clean is clean enough is often a matter of opinion and personal preference. It’s not always necessary to shampoo the carpets, but it’s a nice touch all the same. Wipe down the cabinets inside and out.
It doesn’t hurt to make your last impression on the buyer a good one with little touches like polishing sink fixtures. Leave your home the way you would like to find it if you were the buyer.
- Shut Everything Off
Turn off shut-off valves. If you’ve disconnected the washer, make sure…
By Elizabeth Weintraub | The Balance
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