Selling by Owner Escrow or Closing Checklist

Home sellers should keep on top of their pending sale; especially when selling without the assistance of a real estate agent. Sometimes busy real estate agents forget to monitor all aspects of a pending sale.

Here's a checklist for home sellers:

Selling Escrow Checklist

Property Address:

Date escrow opened: Estimated closing date:Escrow office:
Telephone Number:
Escrow officer:
Officer's assistant:
Escrow number:

Buyer:
Buyer's phone:
Title company:
Fire insurance provider:

Listing agent: Phone:
Selling agent: Phone:

Deposit to be increased to: Date:

Preliminary title report received:
Appraisal ordered date:
Appraiser:
Appraiser phone:
Termite inspection company:
Home inspection company:

Commitment letter from lender
Loan documents
Funding
Recording
Dispersal

Note: For seller's desiring to collect closing funds immediately, have your money wire transferred into your bank account. Otherwise, your bank may hold up your money for days.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

Also: David W. Higgins, David Bohnett and more.

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How some of our previously featured properties have fared in the sales market.

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Question: I own a couple of houses that I rent out for extra income. Unfortunately, they are not in the best part of our town. I have a tenant living in one of them who may be dealing drugs or doing something else illegal because the police have arrested him several times. Every time he is arrested he makes bail and returns to the house in a day or so. Even though he pays the rent on time, I realize that I can't continue to allow him to live in my house. My plan is to change the locks the next time he is arrested, so he can't come back into the house. I know that I need to protect his property inside the house if I do this, but my plan is to move his belongings into a storage locker. I can't afford a lawyer to file an eviction case, so this is my only alternative. Will I be OK if I do this?

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