WHAT HAPPENS AT CLOSING?

You have found your dream house. Made an offer, came to terms, got through inspection. Finalized the loan and have prepared to move. Once all that is done, there’s nothing left but the final – and crucial – hour. The closing.

So what happens at this mysterious event we call “THE CLOSING”? Many buyers are intimidated by the closing, particularly since it takes place in a lawyer’s office and involves signing page after page of legal documents. Enough to give anyone a headache.
But really, truly, you as a buyer should take a deep breath, relax, and ENJOY the closing. Enjoy the free soft drinks and chocolate provided by the closing attorney. Quiz the sellers about the neighbors and nearby stores and what they will miss most about the house. Laugh with your Realtor about the homes you saw that were awful (“remember that bright orange kitchen in that one house?”). Shake hands with your lender.

You can RELAX, because at this point if your Realtor and lender have done their jobs, the hard work is all done.

The closing attorney works for the lender. As a practical matter, the lender’s interests are aligned with yours, as the buyer. The closing attorney, weeks prior to the closing, ordered a TITLE SEARCH. A title search is a canvassing of the relevant county records to make sure that the seller owns the property and that there are no “liens” or claims against the property. If there are any liens, the closing attorney’s job is to clear those liens so that you are getting title to property clear and free of anyone else’s claims against it.

You don’t have to worry about any of this – because as the representative of the lender, the closing attorney has already cleared title. Pursuant to the Georgia contract, the Seller must convey clear title. So if you’re sitting at the closing attorney’s table, title is clear. (If it’s not, the closing attorney will let all parties know and the deal will not close as scheduled until title IS clear; but typically if there is a problem you will know well in advance of the scheduled closing).

The closing attorney will first present all parties with a CLOSING STATEMENT – also known as a HUD Settlement Statement, or simply “HUD STATEMENT”. HUD stands for Housing and Urban Development – the federal agency which mandates the form. This and the note are the two most important documents in the closing – most if not all of the other forms are simply form documents that everyone must sign and which are the same in every closing. The HUD statement and the note are unique to you.

This is where your Realtor comes in – the Realtor represents YOU in the closing. It’s our job to make sure the closing statement accurately reflects the financial deal between the parties. It is a smart thing to provide your Realtor, also, with the Good Faith Estimate previously provided to you by your Lender. The closing statement should reflect the charges in the GFE very closely (the margin of variance allowed is prescribed by law, and the closing attorney will go through with you any variance between the estimate and the actual statement).

We will check the other key document – the Note – to be sure it accurately reflects the amount of the loan, the term, the interest rate, and other terms of the loan.

There are many other pages of documents for you to sign – the Security Deed, the Truth in Lending Statement, a copy of your loan application. Most, again, are form documents – but the Truth in Lending Statement (or TIL) is worth some extra explanation here.

The TIL shows what you will pay in total over the life of the loan – adding principal and interest over the thirty years of a loan (or fifteen, if you have a fifteen year loan). It also shows a percentage – but this is very confusing. It is NOT your interest rate. Throws buyers off all the time. It actually is your interest rate PLUS your closing costs, even if all or part of the closing costs are being paid by the Seller. Meant to be a helpful document, it’s really not. The most important thing for you to know about the TIL is that it’s not important – it’s simply for your information but must be signed. The Note and the HUD Statement govern – and they show your costs and your interest rate in a more easily understood manner.

Once you’ve signed all those documents, handed over the money you’re to bring to closing (which must be either wired or brought as certified funds), checks are cut, keys are handed over, and you own a new home! It may seem a little anti-climatic at the time. But there’s always a big sense of relief and joy. Congratulations on your new home!

Frankly, My Dear…Antebellum is Making a Comeback

Atlanta will forever be associated with Margaret Mitchell and the famous novel Gone With The Wind – her tale of the Civil War South and the genteel characters who endured the war and its aftermath. Tara, Scarlett O’Hara’s fictional home, never existed, and most real homes like it that did exist are themselves “gone with the wind”. The quintessential architectural style of the period, and of Tara, is the Antebellum home – Antebellum means “before war” in Latin, and the term now applies to the style of certain homes built in the period prior to the Civil War which remain distinctly southern. The style is also known as Greek Revival or Classical Revival. Not many remain in Atlanta and environs – there’s Bulloch and Barrington Halls in Roswell, but not many other examples.

But the Southern elegance and charm of the period do live on in select homes here. Take, for example, this gorgeous Southern home on Londonberry Road, in the ritziest part of Atlanta. Scarlett would have died to live here. First, befitting a southern estate, it has a commanding presence from the street and a grand entrance featuring stairs up to a rocking chair front porch. Like many Antebellum homes, it features large Corinthian columns and a symmetrical façade.

 

The home was designed by Mitch Ginn, an architect from Newnan, Georgia, for the original owner who specifically requested this style of home. Mr. Ginn and his firm have designed many homes in different styles – but some of their most memorable have been antebellum like this one. According to Mr. Ginn, “We design 150 to 200 homes a year, but the Greek Revival and Classical Revival styles are unfortunately few and far between. Popular styles today with future homeowners include Craftsman, Bungalow, and homes with English or French cottage influences. I guess I could say I look forward to a Greek Revival “revival”. “

Like many architects, Ginn enjoys recreating classic styles from the past: “I have always loved the timeless beauty and grandeur of the classical architectural styles. They are dictated by historic architectural structure and proportions. I am also a romantic sucker for the “image” of the Old South.”

The home Ginn designed on Londonberry parlays that image into the modern day. The lot was perfect for a sweeping driveway – and it made the most sense, given the lot, to place the swimming pool to the front and side of the home. That showcases it as part of the “estate, and allows a wonderful view of the pool area from the front porch. A meandering creek also wanders far below the home and to the back of the property, adding to the interest of the landscape.

 

The interior of the home on Londonberry continues the grand southern feel with a sweeping stairwell (can’t you just imagine Scarlett making her grand entrance) and two story foyer. There’s also a screened porch overlooking the back grounds – the perfect place for some iced tea or a mint julep, don’t you think?

 

And of course, the style makes way in some respects for the demands of the modern day homeowner – for instance, the kitchen is open to the breakfast and family areas, a must-have for many modern buyers. In addition, there’s a master suite on the main floor with a large master bath. The doors to the master bath and the lighting fixtures are all of grand southern design.

 

 

 

 

 

As a new generation of homebuyers grows into their “dream” homes, the grandeur of the Antebellum style has a new appeal. It does come with a price tag – the home on Londonberry is currently listed for sale for $1,785,000.