Your agent places the keys to your new home in your sweaty little hands. The urge to rush over there faster than Speedy Gonzales will be over-whelming. "It's all mine!"

It is genuinely a great feeling, particularly if you are a first time buyer. Adios landlord!! On the way over, grab yourself a bottle of champagne, or whatever your poison is. Wander around your new home and take it all in.

Taking possession.
Closing and taking possession are two different stages although they can occur on the same day. Closing is signing all that paperwork in the Escrow office. Taking possession is actually getting the keys in your hands; the sellers have moved out and you are free to move in. Ideally, you will take possession on the day of closing; however, that is not always the case.

The date on which you take possession will be part of the Purchase and Sale Agreement and hence is negotiable. Things to consider when setting the date, from your perspective might include (the seller will have their own priorities):

• You are in the process of selling your current home and need to take possession of your new home first so that you won't need to put all your stuff in storage or pay two mortgages.

• If you are renting you will want to take possession towards the end of the month when most leases terminate. If you need to spill over a few extra days into a new month let your landlord know well in advance or you may have to pay the whole additional month.

Once you take possession of your new home, you'll be ready for a nice relaxing vacation. Unfortunately, there's no time for such nonsense and probably no money in the kitty either. Besides actually moving your worldly possessions from your old to new abode, you will have a hefty pre-moving checklist of items to take care of at each location. For example, you will need to discontinue your water & sewer, electricity and natural gas at your old home while starting service at the new one.  Print out and use this list and check them off as you go along.


Moving
Some people consider packing a suitcase for an out of town business meeting to be a major inconvenience. Moving homes is in a league all of its own. Anyone who says they love the moving process is a few steak knives short of a full set. Taking time to prepare for the move and following certain steps will improve your potential for a less stressful experience.

Your options are either to do the moving yourself, hire professional movers or just give it all away. The first option is feasible if you don't have a lot of stuff and / or will not be moving very far. For in-town moves, you can do multiple smaller moves in a smaller truck with the help of friends (especially those with pickups!).

Reducing your load
If you staged your home before listing, one benefit will be that you will probably have gotten rid of a lot of items that you hadn't looked at or used in years. Professional moving companies charge based on weight so minimizing the total load will save you money. You can get rid of "junk" in the following ways:

• Garage sales
• Donate to Goodwill and other charities
• Sell on Craig's List
• Give it away
• Rent a dumpster
• Leave on the curb with a "FREE" sign


Please click here  for these items related to moving.

Using professional moving companies

Moving with pets
  
Return to Buyer's step 6.  Closing and Escrow