If you are buying a house, don't count the deal done until the seller has transferred the title of the property to you – this is what is known as closing. This caution is necessary because a few complications can delay the closing. Below are some of the complications to watch out for.

Seller Backs Out

There are many reasons a seller may back out of a real estate deal. For example, they may learn that they are expecting a child, get a job promotion, lose a job, or even experience tragedy in the family. Maybe the seller wanted to sell the house due to an impending divorce, but they have since reconciled with their partner and decided to keep the house. The good news is that you won't lose any money if the seller backs out of the deal without a good reason (as stipulated in the contract).

Financing Complications Arise

If you are buying the house on mortgage, as most people do, then there is always a risk that the financier might raise hurdles at the last minute. For example, the financier won't advance you the whole mortgage if the appraisal comes in low. Or maybe some of your financial papers might be suspect or lacking; in which case the financing deal will only fall through if you supply the necessary documents. A good way of preempting such complications is to get your mortgage pre-approved before submitting purchase offers.

Errors

Buying a house involves considerable paperwork.  Examples include pay stubs, tax statements, bank statements, sale deed, and building plan, among others. Each of these documents needs to be accurate and error-free before the deal can be closed. In fact, every party should scrutinize the documents at the last minute before the deal is finalized. If anyone discovered an error, then the error must be cleared away before you can proceed with the deal. Working with a real estate agent can help you countercheck every document at every stage of the process to avoid surprises at the last minute.

Delayed Repairs

Most houses are not sold in perfect conditions. One way of dealing with property defects is to negotiate with the seller to repair the defects before handing over the property to you. However, a seller might drag their feet until the last minute. In such a case, you need to have the issue resolved before closing the deal because you won't have any bargaining power if you close the deal first before hounding the seller for repairs. You can avoid such problems by negotiating for a reduction in price or getting the repair cash from the seller instead of letting the seller handle the repairs.

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