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ItalianPrincess1217's avatar

Are closings usually so anticlimactic?

Asked by ItalianPrincess1217 (11979points) November 3rd, 2018

We sold our house (yay) and closed yesterday. Maybe we watch too many movies but we were expecting more of a fireworks display. Or maybe just a simple congratulations from our realtor. We didn’t even receive a call after the buyers signed to let us know everything was official. Is this the norm now?

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19 Answers

ItalianPrincess1217's avatar

@ARE_you_kidding_me That’s disappointing. Not even a handshake or congrats from the lawyer at closing. Seemed so strange to me. This is a first though, so I have nothing to compare it to.

chyna's avatar

I’ve always been in the same room as the buyers or sellers as the case may have been. Usually we shook hands, handed over keys. If there was a hidden light switch or a similar thing I thought the new owners wouldn’t find, I would tell them. As a seller, I always leave a small gift in the home as a welcome home. A small plant usually.

janbb's avatar

It depends on the realtor, the relationship and whether you went to the closing. i would think it varies.

Call_Me_Jay's avatar

Excepting the buyer and seller, it’s routine for the people involved. They’ve learned to take care of all the details beforehand, so the actual closing is a formality

Patty_Melt's avatar

When you play Life on Xbox, the turns which include buying a house, there is confetti and cheers. The realtor hands over the keys, then “raises the roof”.

Maybe she took a cue from you?
Maybe if you had brought a chilled bottle of champagne with you, she would have been caught up in your enthusiasm.

It does sound a bit disappointing, but I think if I were in the same spot, I would have taken the lead.

seawulf575's avatar

Pretty much how it goes. We just paid off our house yesterday. And except for the fireworks going off in my head, it was a quite wire transfer. But I get to celebrate every month when I DON’T have to send in that mortgage payment.

janbb's avatar

@seawulf575 But closing out a mortgage is a little different from selling a house to someone.

Lightlyseared's avatar

Only is things don’t go completely tits up. You don’t want an exciting closing. It usually means things have gone wrong.

seawulf575's avatar

@janbb yes, it’s at the other end of things. But the enthusiasm is what I thought was being asked about. The banker doing the wire transfer wasn’t stoked about it, the mortgage company rep wasn’t stoked about it…it was just another day at the job for them.

ItalianPrincess1217's avatar

Looking back I just never recall having a “congratulations on selling your home!” moment. It was all just anxiety and nailing biting while we waited until the moment the buyers actually signed those final papers. Then we could be breathe a sigh of relief knowing it was done and official. I always envisioned some happy, celebratory moment I guess.

KNOWITALL's avatar

Yes, just paperwork. Our seller didnt even have a conversation with us.

ItalianPrincess1217's avatar

@KNOWITALL I didn’t ever see the seller and didn’t expect to, but I mean on the end of our agent and lawyer. I thought they would at least acknowledge it. Or let us know when it was all done. Even send a text saying something maybe.

JLeslie's avatar

When everyone is at the table usually the realtor or closing agent will give a nice smile, or something trying to make it a pleasant event, but yes, it usually is fairly underwhelming. Often realtors give some sort of gift to their client, but not always. I’ve given Lowe’s gift cards as a realtor. One time as a buyer I received from my realtor dinner delivered on our move in day.

I’ve done closing just signing papers and mailing them also, and then it’s really like a nothing. Just get notice that everything was received and eventually see the money come in.

YARNLADY's avatar

I’ve had several housing transactions and I don’t remember even meeting the other party. It was all done by the agent, who usually said “congratulations” and that’s all.
Our latest, selling our rental house, the escrow agent was the friendliest. She even gave us a promotional pen and note pad.

janbb's avatar

So where are you/have you moved? Is it to the mobile home?

ItalianPrincess1217's avatar

@janbb Just to an apartment right now. But the same day we closed on the house we also put in an offer on another house. They accepted! They want as quick a close as we do and since it’s a cash transaction we should be moved in by mid December. Really excited for it.

elbanditoroso's avatar

When I bought my first house (1982 or so), the realtor gave us a box of chocolates as a celebratory token.

I have bought and sold several houses since, and never got a thing. (except I kept the pen that I used)

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