The home is almost yours. The negotiations are done, the terms agreed on, the mortgage arranged for. The last major hurdle buyers face before moving into their new San Diego homes is the closing.

Technically, closing is the word for exchanging papers that make you the official owner and for clearing up other details. However, if you ask friends what the closing on a residence is, four out of five will reply, with a pained look, "the moment when suddenly you have to write a big fat check in order to really buy the place." But closing costs should not be the nasty surprises they often are. The closing is simply a meeting, involving buyer, seller, their respective lawyers, real estate agents and lender. The approximate date is decided by you and the seller when you sign the contract to buy a California home.

In today's world a typical closing should not take place any more than 45 days from the time you sign a contract, unless you cannot obtain a mortgage commitment. Then you both agree to extend the time period. If this is the case, there should be a provision in the San Diego homes purchase contract that if that period does run longer you can extend the date without paying a penalty. The definite date is when funding occurs. To make the closing as palatable as possible, why not think of it in terms of a big dinner party? I will give you the list of guests, and the menu is fairly standard for a residence. It is up to you to get the ingredients and cook the meal. What makes things easier is that you can prepare some of the "dishes" in advance-as early as the day after you receive a mortgage commitment from a lender. What's more, you can clear up many nagging details ahead of time with a few phone calls.

The federal government offers you a hand, believe it or not. Since 1974, everything at closing is governed by RESPA-the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act. The lenders must let you know prior to the closing exactly what costs are going to be paid by each party.

THE ESTIMATE ON YOUR SAN DIEGO REAL ESTATE COSTS: A LIST OF INGREDIENTS

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