The closing date is the day when, as the buyer, you officially become the owner of the house. After signing the deed of transfer, this document is recorded in the land registry, and you are formally recognized as the owner.
Part of the Negotiations
The acceptance date is a negotiable part of the transaction. The seller specifies when the acceptance of the house can take place. This can be 'immediately,' 'by a specific date,' or 'by mutual agreement.' When submitting an offer, you indicate when you would like to take possession of the house. Once both parties agree on the date, it is documented in the purchase agreement. Typically, the acceptance date is set for the first day of the month, but it could be any working day throughout the year.
Changing the Acceptance date
You can deviate from the acceptance date if both parties agree to it, and it is then documented in the purchase agreement. If one party does not wish to cooperate with a different date, the initially specified date in the purchase agreement remains in effect.
Property Transfer
Generally, the acceptance date falls within 3 to 4 months after receiving the mortgage offer. Mortgage offers often come with a validity period, which is currently around 6 months. Mortgage providers are usually quick to deliver, and you typically receive an offer within a few days.
Extending the validity period is possible but comes with a cost. The so-called commitment fee can quickly amount to thousands of euros, which you would prefer to keep in your pocket.
Property Ownership Transfer
Once the cooling-off period and the deadlines for any conditional clauses have expired, the sale becomes binding. What remains is the day when the property ownership transfer occurs. For this, both the buyer and the seller go to the notary together. The buyer is obliged to engage a notary. The notary is the only one authorized to draw up the notarial deed, which consists of the deed of ownership and the mortgage deed.
Deed of Transfer and Mortgage Deed
The deed of ownership is also known as the transfer deed, legal delivery, or delivery deed. The mortgage deed is the official contract associated with the mortgage taken out on the property. Once both documents are accurate, the notarial deed is signed, and the purchase price is paid. At this moment, the buyer officially becomes the proud owner of a new home. Finally, the seller hands over the keys to the house to the buyer. The notary takes care of registering the deed of transfer and mortgage deed in the appropriate registers, making the property ownership transfer official.
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