Now that you have finished with all the hunting and shopping around Plainfield real estate, as well as with making offers and negotiations with the seller, you are now at the closing part of the whole home buying process - the time to make the property officially yours. During this stage, you would be sitting down at the "closing table" with various people such as the seller, your agent, officials from the mortgage institution and also from the title company, as well as your attorney. This usually takes approximately an hour, but it may take longer for some instances. This would be the time in which you will be completing the purchase of the home as well as your loan, if you are acquiring mortgage.

The following are the five things you must do at the closing part of the whole process of buying Plainfield homes for sale:

1. Perform a walkthrough of the home - Generally before the real closing, you will have the chance to do a walkthrough of the house and check its condition if it is as stated in the purchase agreement.

2. Pay for the closing costs - Make sure that you bring a cashier's check or a certified check at closing since you will need to pay for your part of the closing costs. For the remaining balance, your lender will give a lender's check. During this time, both you and the seller will have to sign the HUD Uniform Settlement Statement which states the closing costs, all the dues involved in the process, and the one who will be paying for these expenses.

3. Show a proof of your identification - This is required so don't forget to bring a valid ID; for example, your passport or driver's license.

4. Present a proof of insurance - Your lender may possibly want to check your proof of payment for homeowners' insurance, as well as flood insurance (if any), before you are allowed to close on the house so make sure you bring a copy.

5. Sign the necessary documents - To officially have the home ownership transferred to you, both parties (the buyer and the seller) must sign a couple of necessary documents. The papers you need to sign include the purchase contract, the settlement statement, title documents, mortgage documents, a promissory letter for your loan, as well as the truth in lending statement (which outlines your loan costs, your schedule of payment, and the amount paid). The things that the seller must sign are the settlement sheet and the deed of the house so that the ownership can be transferred to you. These papers will be filed at the office of the county recorder; however, it is advisable to have a copy of your own.

After all these have been set and the documents have been finished, you will receive the keys to the house. Obviously, you would want to change the locks immediately, but this is still an important part of the process since getting the keys is the final sign that you really are the new owner of the home.