Moving is an extremely hectic event. Weather you’re selling your Chicago condo, or moving to your Lake in the Hills home, there is so much going on….And you may forget a few important items, so here are a few pre-closing tasks to help with the move. When you’re working with a top realtor from 103 Realty, we’ll help make sure you know what to do and when to do it, to ensure your home closing goes as smooth as possible!
Contact each utility provider to inform them of your move. Most will need advanced notice for cancellation or transferring service. For services such as gas, electric and water, a service person must physically read your meter in order to issue the final bill. Others, such as cable, might ask you to send back certain hardware. You may not get the details until you connect with them, so try not to procrastinate until closing day.
If your mortgage payment includes a portion for real estate taxes, then there is an escrow account containing those funds. When the tax bill is due, the money is removed from the escrow account. If your closing is planned for around the same time that the real estate tax bill is due, you can tell your mortgage company not to process the payment. The closing attorney will likely plan to pay the same bill, which will result in a double payment. Check with the closing attorney to confirm. It may be a cumbersome process to obtain a refund or you may not realize the error completely. Normally, any funds remaining in your escrow account are returned after the loan is paid off.
When transfering ownership in a Chicago condo association, there are accompanying documents that come from your condo association that you will need for closing. Consult with your attorney or your real estate broker on how to order these documents through your homeowner’s association. There is usually an up-front fee that comes with ordering these documents.
You may arrange for mail forwarding with USPS ahead of time. This can be done at a local branch or via the Internet. There may be two different services available. A simple change of address includes only a small fee (a few dollars) online. There is a premium service with a more expensive cost but is typically not necessary when moving to a new address. You will still be required to inform senders of your change of address.
The pre-closing tasks for Chicago homeowners in this blog contains just a few of the important ones to include. For more tasks related to selling your property, refer to your 103 Realty agent. He or she will help keep you on track so your home closes on time with minimal hiccups!
Contact Pat Kalamatas at 103 Realty via phone at (312) 880-7862 or email patrick@103realty.com