Holding keys until the money clears is the only way to stay sane. I used to be more trusting, but after a guy “forgot” to send the final payment and then ghosted me for a week, I got stricter. One thing that’s helped: I now use a checklist for every closing—wire receipt, bank confirmation, double-check with escrow. Curious—do you ever get pushback from buyers about delays, or do most just accept it as part of the process?
Holding keys until the money clears is the only way to stay sane.
- I’ve been burned before too. Had a buyer’s agent swear up and down their client wired the funds, but the bank sat on it for two days. Not doing that again.
- Most people don’t love waiting, but if you lay out the process up front, they usually just grumble and deal with it.
- The only time I got serious pushback was last year—young couple, first house, super anxious. They were convinced I was being “paranoid” by double-confirming with escrow. Sorry, but trust doesn’t pay my mortgage.
- My checklist is similar: wire receipt, bank confirmation (not just “pending”), escrow says go, then and only then do keys change hands.
Honestly, I think some buyers expect instant everything because of how fast other stuff moves now. Like, order groceries at 10am and they’re at your door at noon… Real estate’s not like that, and I’m not taking a risk for someone else’s impatience.
Ever had a buyer try to get around your checklist? I had one insist we skip escrow because “their bank was reputable.” Red flag city. Curious if you’ve adjusted your process after any close calls.