The Closing Process

The final month

Roughly 30 days out, your lender re-verifies everything: employment, credit, assets. The cardinal rule: change nothing. No new cars, no new credit cards, no job changes, no large unexplained deposits, no co-signing for anyone. Buyers lose approvals in the final weeks by financing furniture for a house they don't yet own.

Documents and numbers

You'll receive a Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Compare it line-by-line against your Loan Estimate and your contract: sales price, credits and incentives, rate, lender fees, prorated taxes, HOA fees and any community enhancement fee. Errors are common and correctable, before closing. Ask the title company to model your year-two tax escrow so the post-assessment jump (Chapter 10) is already in your plan.

Wire fraud: the paragraph that can save you six figures

Wire fraud targeting homebuyers is a real and active threat. Criminals compromise email chains and send convincing, correctly-formatted wiring instructions from addresses that look like your title company. The defense is simple and absolute: verify wiring instructions by phone, calling a number you looked up independently, never one from the email, before sending anything. Treat any last-minute 'updated instructions' email as fraud until proven otherwise. No legitimate title company will rush you past a verification call.

The final walkthrough and closing day

Within days of closing, walk the home again: confirm blue-tape items are complete, systems run, appliances work, and nothing was damaged in the final push. Unfinished items should be documented in a written completion agreement before you sign, leverage drops sharply after funding. Closing itself is about an hour of signatures; bring identification and your cashier's check or confirmed wire. Then: keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, warranty portal login, and utility account confirmations before you leave the table.