Contact your attorney about a week before closing to schedule the actual closing date, time and location in an effort to avoid any problems with your schedule. If you are not going to attend the closing, have your attorney prepare "Power of Attorney" or POA as well as a wire transfer which will save you time and aggravation...these steps must be done well in advance! The closing usually takes place at the lender's attorney's office or the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds near Government Center and is usually about 1-2 hours depending upon the transaction. If this is a cash deal, the closing will most likely take place at one of the attorney's office or the Registry of Deeds. Btw, very few sellers actually attend closings anymore...the POA is a real time saver if you are comfortable with this process!

The week just prior to the closing is when your the lender's underwriter actually prepares all the documents, verifies the accuracy of the HUD Closing Statement commonly known as the closing or settlement statement, reviews the deed and funds the closing. If this is a cash deal your legal counsel will prepare the closing documents. Either way, I will continue to be in touch regularly throughout the entire transaction in an effort to monitor the process and to generally assure the process proceeds smoothly and ultimately closes without incident. However, from here on in the mortgage company is in the driver's seat! If this is a cash deal, it is simply a matter of time until the closing!

Prior to your scheduled closing date, I will assist you in retrieving the following closing documents prior to the closing. The Condominium 6D Certificate is a notarized document verifying that all condominium association fees, dues and/or an assessments for your unit are paid through the month of the closing. The Condominium Association's Master Insurance Policy Certificate names your buyer and their lender as additionally insured. The City of Boston Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Detector Certificate verifies that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your unit are in good working order. If you are selling a townhouse, single or multi-family, I will instead secure the City of Boston Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Detector Certificate and the City of Boston Water & Sewer Commission Final Water Reading. These certificates are required in order to record this transaction at the registry of deeds.

About three (3) days prior to the closing, you should request a copy of the HUD Statement. Unfortunately, the lender's attorney will typically not have this prepared until about 24-48 hours prior to the closing. The HUD statement will document the transaction in detail and will inform you of the total amount paid to you at the closing after any and all agreed upon deductions. If you have any questions in regards to the HUD Closing Statement, please call your attorney immediately! You should also cancel your unit home owner's insurance policy effective the end of the day of the actual closing and/or transfer to your new home.  You should also notify your utility companies of the closing date...the buyer will secure his own services immediately upon closing. Finally, I will be scheduling a walk-thru for the buyer just prior to the actual closing. Please leave all keys (i.e. building, unit, garage, mail box, storage etc.) on the kitchen counter and I will deliver these to the closing.