Contact your attorney about a week before closing to schedule the actual closing date, time and location in an effort to avoid any problems with your schedule. If you are not going to attend the closing, have your attorney prepare "Power of Attorney" or POA as well as a wire transfer which will save you time and aggravation...these steps must be done well in advance! You will need certified funds for the actual closing. The closing usually takes place at your lender's attorney's office or the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds near Government Center and is usually about 1-2 hours depending upon the transaction. Don't forget your driver's license, state issued photo identification or passport and certified funds. Btw, very few buyers actually attend closings anymore...the POA is a real time saver if you are comfortable with this process!

The week just prior to the closing is when your lender's underwriter actually prepares all the documents, verifies the accuracy of the HUD Closing Statement commonly known as the closing or settlement statement, reviews the deed and funds the closing. If this is a cash deal the seller's legal counsel will prepare the closing documents. Either way, I will continue to be in touch regularly throughout the entire transaction in an effort to monitor the process and to generally assure the process proceeds smoothly and ultimately closes without incident. However, from here on in the mortgage company is in the driver's seat! If this is a cash deal, it is simply a matter of time until the closing!

Prior to your scheduled closing date, I will ensure that the seller's agent retrieves the following closing documents prior to the closing. The Condominium 6D Certificate is a notarized document verifying that all condominium association fees, dues and/or an assessments for your unit are paid through the month of the closing. The Condominium Association's Master Insurance Policy Certificate names your buyer and their lender as additionally insured. The City of Boston Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Detector Certificate verifies that the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your unit are in good working order. If you are selling a townhouse, single or multi-family, I will instead secure the City of Boston Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Detector Certificate and the City of Boston Water & Sewer Commission Final Water Reading. These certificates are required in order to record this transaction at the registry of deeds.

About three (3) days prior to the closing, you should request a copy of the HUD Statement. Unfortunately, your lender's attorney's will typically not have this prepared until about 24-48 hours prior to the closing. The HUD statement will document the transaction in detail and inform you of the total amount due at the closing. If you have any questions in regards to the HUD Closing Statement, please call your attorney immediately! Please let me know the exact closing date, time and location so that I may schedule a walk through of your new home just hours prior to the actual closing time. I will have all the keys for you at the closing i.e. building, unit, garage, mail box, storage etc.

Your lender requires that you secure "Home Owner's Insurance" for your new property, in addition to the master insurance policy which is paid by your condominium association. The experiences of most of my clients have shown that it has been advantageous to be insured by the same insurance carrier that covers the condominium association in an effort to avoid any discrepancies in the actual coverage. More importantly, it has proven to be less time consuming and frustrating in the unfortunate event of a loss or damage to the property. I will research the contact information for the condominium association's insurance carrier if you email: Rich@RichHaen.com or call my cell at (617) 283-5044. The following is a list of local insurance agencies I am comfortable recommending...please feel free to request references. My personal favorite is Metro West Insurance:

Please note that www.Richhaen.com nor it's agents assume any responsibility for the services of the aforementioned parties. This list is simply a matter of courtesy, consult your yellow pages for additional companies. We strongly suggest that you contact the Better Business Bureau @ 617 426-9000 or write The BBB @ 20 Park Plaza, Suite 820, Boston MA 02116-4404 (www.bbb.org).