We did it. We closed on the sale of our home on the last day of Denver’s stay-at-home order during the coronavirus pandemic. It was a bit of a nail-biter right up until the end, but ultimately, it all went down as planned.
We listed our house the day Denver's mayor announced the stay-at-home order, and despite not allowing anyone to physically tour our property, we received two solid offers within just a few days of listing. With so many unknown factors in play, we were on pins and needles until the very day of closing, but everything lined up as it should in the end, and we closed on our scheduled closing date.
There were a few things in our sale contract that were different from pre-pandemic days. For instance, there was a COVID-19 clause, which stated that if anyone in either party became sick with coronavirus, the closing would automatically be postponed for two weeks. Also, our buyer had requested that we replace a few broken roof tiles before closing, which would normally be a quick and inexpensive project to complete, but the roofing company was unable to do so, since the tile supplier was one of the non-essential businesses forced closed during Denver’s stay-at-home order. Luckily, we were able to decide on a mutually agreeable alternative with the buyers the week of our closing, so that the sale could go through as planned.
Closing day went down like this:
First, we signed most of the paperwork from home with electronic signatures. We received detailed instructions for the physical signatures needed at our closing location, including any required identification and payment details.
Preparing my family for the closing took far longer than the actual closing itself. We have three kids, and the closing location was a 40-minute drive from our home. I packed snacks and water bottles, and the kids made sure their electronics were charged (since I’d promised they could use them). My husband and I actually showered (which is becoming rarer these days). I blow-dried my hair (which I haven’t done in over a month). And we all took our face masks.
We donned our masks as we pulled into the parking lot for our title company and followed signs to the “closing tent.” A masked and gloved professional stood near our open car window to ask for our sale address, then directed us to park in a parking spot. He called our closing agent, who came out of the building right away. She also wore a mask and gloves. Standing outside our open window, she asked for, and took a photo of, each drivers’ license. She then handed us some paperwork on a clipboard, 5 pages only, with two pens. She instructed us to sign in four places. Told us to keep the pens. And said, “if you can believe it, that’s it.” We really could not believe it. I mean, the whole thing took less than ten minutes total, from the time we pulled in to the time we pulled out. To be honest, it was a little anticlimactic.
But there you have it. That’s how title companies are closing home sales these days. Good luck with yours!
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