Ask the REALTOR: I just bought my brand-new house! When do I get to move in?!?

Ask the REALTOR® is a regular video series in which I answer your most commonly-asked real estate questions, with a new Q&A posting every week. If YOU have a real estate question for me, drop me a note here.

This week’s question: I just bought my brand-new house! When do I get to move in?!? Here’s the answer in this brief video, and don’t miss the transcript below.

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Transcript:

Hi. This is Cari McGee with Keller Williams Realty. Welcome to this week’s episode of “Ask the Realtor.” Every week, I answer questions from buyers and sellers — and pretty much everyone in between — regarding real estate.

This week’s question is, “Cari, I just bought my brand-new house! When do I get to move in?!?”

Well, the contract states that you are entitled to possession at 9 p.m. on the date of closing. Closing is the date that the county records the property as actually belonging to you, the new buyer. But customarily in our area, you’re actually able to move in when the seller is finished, and usually the seller is moved out when it is recorded with the county.

Usually, most sellers go ahead and oblige and are out by somewhere between noon and 5 p.m. on the day of closing, and that definitely helps with moving timelines and all of the last-minute details that need to be taken care of.

So we just wanted to let you know that is legally when you are entitled to the property, but oftentimes — certainly in our area, which is pretty friendly — we allow people to move in a little bit earlier than 9 p.m. because usually the sellers are out and the house is clean by then.

If you have any questions for me regarding real estate, by all means, give me a shout via any one of the methods that follow on the next screen. Thanks so much. See you next week.