For those that are buying Wisconsin real estate now – there are IMPORTANT insider Buyers tips that you need to know about. It isn’t as simple as shopping around for the best house, writing an offer, and then moving in. You need to know what neighborhood you want to live in, maybe research schools and understand Madison’s short sale and foreclosure market. You need to learn about how market conditions locally will affect your negotiating position. It is crucial to understand the financing process and what the pre approval and loan commitment process means. We also will educate you on the inspection process and how the condition of the home can also affect your financing.
What about closing day vs moving day?
Here are the Top 3 Important Factors to Consider:
Pick a realistic and manageable closing date.
Don’t assume you can change it later. Most likely your offer reads, “Closing shall be no later than ____” and there is a date in the blank spot. You can close earlier, although all parties need to agree but you can’t close later. To close later you must amend the offer. To close earlier, you just need to coordinate schedules and it is not necessary to get an amendment signed by all parties. Sellers have complicated moving schedules as do Buyers so just remember that the closing day you write into the offer will most likely be the day you go to the title company for the closing if all goes well.
Consider Your Lender.
Your lender may be doing all they can to expedite the closing so it will happen quickly and in the timeframe you have agreed upon with the Seller. However, life is not as easy for lenders anymore either. The Buyers lender may be the cause of a delayed closing. It isn’t abnormal for underwriters to ask for more documents even days before the scheduled closing date…which can postpone the closing date. Prepare for the worst and expect delays.
Your moving date should NOT be the same date as your closing date.
If you are the Seller, try to arrange to move out a couple of days prior to closing. You can even pre sign documents at a convenient day and time so that you are not rushed the day of closing. You may ask, “Where do I go if I can’t get keys to my new house until I close on my current house?” There are a couple of creative ways to plan a different moving day from your closing day.
Negotiate a pre closing occupancy on the house you are buying. Now you have a couple of days to move into the next house before you actually close on it. Sometimes the Sellers won’t allow this but may allow you to move your belongings into the garage. And this can be enough to create a smoother transition.
Stay with a family member or a friend. There are times that moving on the day of closing is what ends up happening. And that isn’t the end of the world. It just takes a lot of planning and optimism.
Negotiate a post closing occupancy on the house you are selling. If the Buyers that are purchasing your home are in a lease and have until the end of the month to move out, it usually works out just fine to ask them if you can stay in your home a couple of days after the closing date to give you needed time to move into your new home and clean out the house you are selling. Many homebuyers are agreeable to this.
As a Homebuyer, my recommendation is to give yourself a 2 week buffer in planning your move. If you are negotiating a quick close and are hoping to close in 30 days, understand up front that there may be delays so don’t plan to move on closing day. Don’t order furniture or appliances to be delivered on or the day after closing. Don’t arrange for the carpet replacement either. By assuming everything will go smoothly and you will close on time sets you up for frustration if there are delays. And the goal is to set yourself up for a smooth move – not a stressful one. If you give yourself additional time and things go well and you close on time, then you can move things up (and if not, then you wait). But it is easier to have extra time then to cancel and rearrange due to delays.
As a Seller it isn’t as easy. There are risks in selling your home in any market, and especially in today’s market. Again, there is a chance that something could go wrong the day before or the day of closing which would delay closing. As a Seller there isn’t much you can do but prepare to move and continue with your moving plans. But if something goes wrong, it is smart to have backup plans. Make sure your Realtor continues to market your home. Negotiate a reasonable amount of earnest money so that if something goes wrong, you are compensated appropriately for the time and money lost.
Madison WI real estate is not what it once was.
I know I’m not telling you anything new. The media inundates us with a ridiculous amount of doom and gloom when it comes to the real estate market. It is all perspective. There are houses being sold. People need bigger, they need smaller and they are moving out of state. As long as couples continue to marry, and as long as children continue to grow and move on with their lives, there will be a need to move to a different space. There will always be someone that wants to move South or North…you get the picture right?
keys to your new home
A buyer’s market doesn’t mean that you are out of luck if you have a house to sell. It just means that you may get a better deal on the house you are going to buy then make a ton of money on the house you have to sell. You could wait until the market turns around and then get more money for your current house and pay more for your next house. That is simplifying a decision that is based on many factors.
