Your lender has to get you the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Shortly before closing you do a final walk-through. Then you sign the loan and transfer documents at the title company, your money is wired or delivered as the title company instructs, the deed is recorded, and you get the keys when your purchase agreement says you get possession.
I'm Wes Johnston, a Realtor with Trueblood Real Estate in Fishers. I'm not a lender, a lawyer or a title agent. Federal rules below link to the regulation itself, and your purchase agreement and your title company's instructions control your closing.
Closing day itself is usually the easy part. The work happens in the few days before it: reviewing the numbers, locking down how your money moves, and making sure the house is in the shape the contract says. Get those right and the signing is mostly just a lot of signatures.
Federal rules require that you receive the Closing Disclosure no later than three business days before closing (12 CFR 1026.19(f)(1)(ii)(A)). It shows your final loan terms, your closing costs, and the cash you need to bring.
Use those three days. The CFPB says to compare it with the Loan Estimate your lender gave you earlier (CFPB: What is a Closing Disclosure?). If something looks different, ask your lender now, not at the table.
A few changes restart the clock. If the APR becomes inaccurate, the loan product changes, or a prepayment penalty is added, you have to get a corrected disclosure and a new three-business-day wait (12 CFR 1026.19(f)(2)(ii)). Smaller changes can be corrected without a new wait.
It's your last look at the house before you own it, at the time your purchase agreement allows, usually shortly before closing. We check that the house is in the condition the contract calls for, that any repairs the seller agreed to were done, and that anything that's supposed to stay is still there.
Turn on the faucets, run the appliances, flip the heat and the air, and open the garage door. If something's wrong, we deal with it before you sign, not after.
This is the one part of closing I want every buyer to take seriously. Scammers send fake wiring instructions that look like they came from the title company or your agent, often right before closing. Once the money is wired to the wrong account, it can be very hard to get back.
The CFPB's advice: confirm wiring instructions with people you already know and trust, and don't use phone numbers or links from an email (CFPB: Mortgage closing scams). The FBI says to use a second channel to verify any change in payment instructions (FBI IC3: Business Email Compromise).
What that means in practice: call the title company at a number you found on your own, not one from the email, and confirm the account details before you send anything. If instructions change by email at the last minute, treat that as a red flag. If you think you've been scammed, call your bank immediately and ask for a wire recall, then file a complaint at ic3.gov.
Your title company will tell you exactly what to bring, and you should follow their list. Plan on a valid government-issued photo ID for everyone signing, and your funds to close in the form the title company requires, usually a wire sent ahead of time or certified funds. Don't plan on a personal check for the balance.
If you're married or buying with someone else, ask whether both of you need to be there. If one of you can't be, ask early, because signing another way takes time to set up.
The closer walks you through the documents and you sign them: your loan documents, including the note and the mortgage, and the closing statement. The seller signs the deed, often at a separate time. Buyer and seller both sign Indiana's Sales Disclosure Form, which you can also use to apply for the homestead deduction; my closing costs guide covers it and the other fees.
Ask about anything you don't understand. The closer can explain what a document is, but can't give you legal advice. Then the title company confirms the money is in, pays the seller and everyone else on the closing statement, and sends the deed and your mortgage to the county recorder to be recorded. Recording is what puts your ownership on the public record.
When your purchase agreement says you get possession. Often that's at closing. Sometimes the seller stays a few days or longer after closing, and the contract spells out how that works. Read that part of your contract before you schedule the movers.
As for timing overall, in my experience the stretch from accepted offer to closing usually runs 30 to 45 days.
Keep your closing documents somewhere safe. Change the locks. And make sure your homestead deduction is filed if the house is your primary residence. The state deadline is January 15 of the year the taxes are first due, and you only have to file once unless the property is sold or ownership changes (DLGF: Deductions and Credits).
Your first property tax bill may not look like the seller's. My Indiana property tax guide explains why. If you just moved to the area, the moving to Indianapolis checklist covers your license, vehicles and utilities.
More buyer questions, answered: the steps to buying your first home, how earnest money works, how the inspection period works, what happens if the appraisal comes in low, new construction or resale, and what to know before moving to Indianapolis. For the money side, see Indiana closing costs and Indiana property taxes.
I stay on top of the dates, the title company and the lender through closing day so nothing lands on you at the last minute. If you're under contract, or about to be, tell me where you are and I'll tell you what comes next.
I'm not a lender or a lawyer, and I'll point you to one when a question belongs there.
Fishers-based. The details handled from accepted offer to keys in hand. Committed to your success.
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This page is general information, not financial or legal advice. Your purchase agreement, your lender and your title company's instructions control your closing.