Hooray! You’ve listed your home for sale, endured countless showings and open houses, have negotiated an offer from a buyer, and are now officially under contract – congrats! Time to relax! Well…not quite. Alas, there is still lots of work to be done, but you are so close to the finish line!
Below are just a few reminders of the items you may need to address before the closing date creeps up on you:
- If the buyers have a home inspection and negotiate repairs, any repairs must be completed prior to settlement. In most cases, the repairs need to be performed by a licensed contractor and you must furnish receipts.
- If you live in an HOA or COA, make sure that any violations (if any) noted in the resale HOA/COA inspection have been cleared prior to settlement. This can sometimes be a lengthy process, so make sure you stay on top of your HOA/COA board to get a cure letter!
- Start reaching out to movers now to get quotes and a move out date that is a few days before the actual settlement date. Moving companies can often book up quickly, especially during the busy seasons.
- Decide which items in your current house will come with you to your new home and which you want to sell or donate. Consider posting items on websites such as Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist as soon as you can to avoid any last minute stress of finding a home for larger items. For donated items, check with your local charities to see what items they may take and set up a pickup time. If you are dealing with an estate or lots of items, you can hire a company to come in and sell them for you.
- Start packing a little each day. Look for free boxes on Facebook Marketplace or buy them from moving/storage companies. If necessary, consider renting a storage unit in the interim until you know if everything will fit in your new home.
- Schedule a cleaning crew to come and do a move out cleaning when the home is empty, right before settlement. The goal is to leave it as clean as you would want to find it if you were the buyer.
- Collect all manuals and warranties for the various systems in your home to leave in a kitchen drawer for the buyers. Also, any extra keys and remotes should be left in the kitchen.
- A week before settlement, call your utility providers to notify them that you have sold your home and set a shut off date. Remember that ALL utilities need to be on and functioning when the buyer does their final walk through. Also, sometimes there are delays in settlement, so consider having the utilities stay in your name a few days after the scheduled settlement date to avoid them being shut off too soon.
- If you know your new address, order cards to send out to your friends and family so they know where you are.
- Change the address in any auto ship orders you may have.
- Change your address with the postal office.
- Change address and phone number for any rewards cards you may have.
- Let your children’s schools know of the address change.
- Update your license with the DMV once you are settled into your new home.
- Update your address with any college alma maters, magazine subscriptions, Amazon, cell phone accounts, doctor’s offices, etc.
- Be sure to write your favorite real estate team a 5-star review! 🙂
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