Tips for A Smoother Closing

by Victoria Rivera, Certified Signing Agent

Here’s a checklist that may help your closing go smoother:

  1. Confirm the time and location. When your escrow officer or notary signing agent schedules your appointment, confirm the time and location before you end your conversation. If you are meeting at a location you’re not familiar with, ask for directions. Online maps are helpful but not always reliable.
  2. Get a contact phone number for the escrow officer or signing agent. In case of an emergency, or if your lender cancels or postpones the appointment, you may need to call and notify your closing agent of the change. This sounds strange, but sometimes you may know about a schedule change before the signing agent does.
  3. If documents are being shipped to you, call the closing agent when they arrive. If you haven’t received the loan package by noon, advise them so the documents can be tracked down.
  4. If you are required to bring funds to the closing appointment, make sure you know how much and what type to bring. Get specific instructions from your escrow officer or closing agent on the amount and whether you need a cashier’s check, wire transfer, etc., in order to provide funds in a timely manner.
  5. Make a note of the types of ID you need to bring. This will vary from state to state. As a general rule the ID must be government (state or federal) issued. Photo ID is required in some states. Valid IDs include Passport, State-issued Drivers License, INS Green Card/Resident Alien card, Military ID (though some states have changed the rules on the military IDs being acceptable). Things like credit cards, social security cards, insurance cards, checking accounts, and utility bills are not forms of ID and are not acceptable as a PRIMARY ID. Some companies will use these things as a secondary ID.
  6. If you are in a witness state, you will need a witness present. Again, this is an area that varies as to whether or not the recording state requires a witness and which documents require witnesses. Ask your notary if you need to provide a witness.
  7. Be prepared to bring additional documents. You may need to bring (a) Property Surveys—if there is a Survey Affidavit required in the package; (b) Homeowner’s Insurance Policy—in case the policy number and address of the Insurer is needed on certain forms. These are not always required, and state law sometimes governs these things. Not all states require a Survey Affidavit, and some states require a Anti-coercion Disclosure.
  8. You may be asked to write out a 10-year history before the appointment. You may be required to complete a 10-year history form at the signing. To make this form easier to fill out, your notary may ask you to jot down and bring with you, your work and residences for the past ten years as well as marriages, divorces, and children. This is a common form in the loan package in California. In other states, you may or may not have this form.

Good luck with your signing!


Copyright Victoria Rivera. All rights reserved. Victoria Rivera is a Notary Public, Certified Signing Agent, Author, Instructor, and Bankruptcy Processor. She was honored by the National Notary Association as their 2004 Special Honoree and served on the National Advisory Council for GoGetNotary.com from 2005 to 2007. For more about Victoria, visit GoGetNotary.com/Get/Victoria.


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