What to Bring to Your Real Estate Closing (Buyer and Seller Checklist)

You’ve gone under contract, you’re excited, closing day is approaching — and then it hits you: you’ve never done a closing before and you have no idea what you’re supposed to bring. The good news is the list is short. The bad news is that forgetting one item can stop the entire process.

In the video below, Tiffany Webber walks through exactly what buyers and sellers need to bring to closing day, including the one thing that will shut everything down if you don’t have it.

Watch the Full Video

Here’s the full checklist, or watch the full video for the complete conversation.

What Buyers Need to Bring

A Valid, Non-Expired Photo ID

This is the most important item on the list, and it’s the one that can stop your closing cold. Your photo ID is required for two reasons: notarization and Patriot Act verification.

The notary at closing needs to verify that you are who you say you are. If your ID is expired — even by a day — it cannot be used for notarization purposes. There are technically other ways a notary can verify identity, but they involve extra steps that are rarely practical if you and the notary have never met. Save yourself the headache and make sure your ID is current before closing day.

If you’re getting a loan, there’s a second layer. Lenders require Patriot Act verification, which means the closing attorney’s office has to collect specific information from your photo ID as part of the signing process. No valid ID, no closing.

A Checkbook

You’ll wire the bulk of your funds before closing, but the final numbers aren’t always locked in when that wire goes out. Maybe you’re sending the wire on a Friday and closing is Monday, but the wire cutoff was at noon and the figures weren’t finalized until the afternoon. Maybe you’re wiring from a bank in a different state with an earlier cutoff time.

If your wire comes in a little short — a couple hundred dollars off — and you have your checkbook, you can write a check for the difference on the spot. If you overpaid, the closing attorney can wire the excess back to you or cut you a check at closing. Without a checkbook, a small discrepancy can turn into a logistical problem that delays everything.

And if you’ve never written a check before — it happens more than you’d think — the closing attorney’s office will walk you through it. No judgment. If you don’t have a checkbook at all, go to your bank before closing and ask for a single check. They’ll give you one.

A Smartphone or Device With Email Access

As closings become more electronic, lenders increasingly require buyers to complete an e-signing component before the in-person closing can proceed. The closing attorney scans a document to verify completion, and if you haven’t finished the e-signing, the closing stops until you do.

Tiffany has had buyers at the table who say, “I’ll do it later” — but the closing literally cannot move forward until it’s done. If your phone can access the internet and your email, you’re covered. If you got the e-signing link sent to a work email and you’re at closing on your personal phone, that’s a problem. Make sure you can access whatever email your lender has been communicating through.

Having your phone also helps if you need to reach your loan officer, your agent, or anyone else who’s on standby but couldn’t attend in person.

What Sellers Need to Bring

A Valid Photo ID

Same requirement as buyers. The notary needs to verify your identity, and an expired ID won’t work.

Wiring Instructions

If you want to get paid — and presumably you do — bring your bank’s wiring instructions so the closing attorney can send your proceeds. Without wiring instructions, you’re either waiting for a check or making a second trip to provide the information later.

Keys, Remotes, and Access Codes

This one depends on what you and the buyer have agreed to, but sellers should consider bringing house keys, garage door remotes, gate codes, and any lock combinations or access passwords for the property. Some closing attorneys will hold these items at their office until the deed is recorded, at which point the buyer picks them up. In other cases, the parties arrange the handoff on their own. Either way, bring them to closing so the transfer can happen smoothly on the timeline everyone agreed to.

The Short Version

Closing day doesn’t require a suitcase full of documents. For buyers: valid photo ID, a checkbook, and your phone. For sellers: valid photo ID, wiring instructions, and the keys. That’s the list. It’s simple, but in the middle of packing and moving and managing everything else, it’s easy to overlook. Don’t be the person who shows up with an expired license and has to reschedule.

Watch the full video for the complete conversation, including why a fresh checkbook and your mom at the closing table is more common than you’d think.

Closing on a Home in the Lake Norman Area?

At Thomas & Webber, we walk every buyer and seller through the closing process so there are no surprises on closing day. If you’re under contract and need a closing attorney in Mooresville, Huntersville, or Denver, send your contract our way and we’ll take care of the rest.

Email your contract to [email protected] or call us: (704) 663-1600