What Actually Happens at the Closing Table

By the time you reach the table, the work is done. The signing is the ceremony — but it helps to know what is coming.

What to bring

• Government-issued photo identification for every person signing. Driver's licence or passport. Not expired.
• Your funds, if they have not already been wired
• Nothing else, unless we have asked for something specific

Who is there

You, the closer, and often your agent. The seller may sign separately — buyers and sellers do not have to be in the room together, and frequently are not. A lender representative is rarely present.

What you sign

• The settlement statement — every dollar in and out. Read this one.
• The deed, if you are selling
• The mortgage and note, if you are borrowing. This is the bulk of the pile, and it is the lender's paperwork rather than ours.
• Disclosures, affidavits, and the odd form that exists purely because a regulator requires it

How long

An hour is typical for a financed purchase. A cash purchase can be twenty minutes. We explain each document as it comes rather than sliding a stack across the table.

What happens after you leave

We disburse — paying off the seller's mortgage, paying both brokerages, paying the county — and then record the deed and mortgage. Recording is the moment the transfer becomes public. Your final policy follows once recording is confirmed.

The one thing that can still go wrong

Funds. If your money has not arrived, nothing else matters. Wire early, and call us on a number you already have before you send anything.

Note: general information for Pennsylvania and Alabama property owners, not legal or tax advice. Rates, taxes, eligibility and deadlines are set by statute and by each state’s filed rate schedules and can change. Confirm the specifics with us and with a qualified professional before relying on them for a transaction.