As you may have guessed, I deal with all types of buyers and sellers.  Being such a seasonal and vacation area, it’s very common for us to deal with buyers out of state – and increasingly out of the country.  Just this week, I have buyers closing on a new home who live in England and spend part of the year in the British Virgin Islands.  As a Realtor, if we are not working with out of state and out of country prospects, we are missing a big piece of the action.  The surprising thing is how often buyers and sellers think they need to be here to close on their property.  That is simply not the case! I have even had buyers who purchased homes without ever stepping foot in them.  They realized it was a good deal and completed the entire sale without ever coming to Florida.  This is not for the faint of heart, but works well for some people! Here are a few pointers to help with your out of area closing:

1. If you are selling, make sure you have the repairs that are requested by the buyer done well ahead of time, everything moved out, and the home deep cleaned.  This will help when the buyer does their walk through.  You want it to go as smoothly as possible and if you are not here, you don’t want any hiccups at the end!
2. Everything can be done through email, fax, and FedEx.  If you’re a seller, there are very few documents to sign; however, you’ll need to have a notary present, whom you can easily find at your bank. Sometimes title companies in Florida can send a mobile closing agent to you wherever you are to help with the signing of your documents.  If you are a buyer paying cash, the process is very simple and can usually be done through email and fax.  If you’re getting a mortgage, you’ll need to find that notary!
3. Use good inspectors, Realtors, title agents, mortgage brokers, and attorneys.  They will make your life much easier and the transaction much smoother. Give me a call at 239.825.2234 if you’d like the names of some great ones.

Don’t be scared or overwhelmed.  It’s continually getting easier to do business remotely, and buying and selling houses is no exception.  Good Luck!

Gabe Mellein was voted a Top Real Estate Agent – Exceptional in Service and Overall Satisfaction by Gulfshore Life Magazine in 2012.  He is the broker of Gulf Pointe Properties, Inc and has over 8 years experience in the SW Florida Real Estate Market.  He is a member of The Naples Area Board of Realtors, Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, The Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors, and is nationally certified in Feng Shui for Real Estate.  Please contact Gabe at:  239.825.2234, Gabe@GulfPointeProperties.com  or www.GulfPointeProperties.com