A buyer’s guide to closing, with your name on it.

What happens between the agreement and the keys

1. The file opens. Your agent sends the agreement of sale to the settlement company. The file is acknowledged the same business day and the closing window goes on the calendar.
2. Title is searched and examined. We look at the public record for the property: who owns it, what is recorded against it, and anything that has to be cleared before you can take good title.
3. The commitment goes out. That is the document listing what the policy will cover and what it will not. A Pennsylvania attorney reads it before it is issued, and the exceptions get explained in plain English.
4. Everything gets cleared. Payoffs are ordered and verified, lien letters and tax certifications come in, and your lender balances the Closing Disclosure with us.
5. Closing day. You sign, funds disburse, the deed and mortgage are recorded, and the policies issue.

Title insurance, plainly

Your lender will require a loan policy. It protects the lender’s interest, not yours. An owner’s policy protects your equity against problems no search can fully rule out: forged documents, missing heirs, unreleased liens, recording errors. It lasts as long as you own the property, and it is a one-time premium paid at closing.

Pennsylvania title insurance rates are filed and regulated, so the premium is set by the rate manual rather than by the company you choose. What differs between companies is the work behind the policy and the service at the table.

The one rule about money

Criminals target closings because one wire can be a life’s savings and a fraudulent transfer is usually unrecoverable within hours. A legitimate closing survives a two-minute verification call.

What to bring to closing

• Government-issued photo ID for everyone signing
• Certified funds or a wire sent after a verified callback
• Proof of homeowner’s insurance, if your lender has not already collected it
• Any documents your lender asked you to bring

After closing: two things worth five minutes

Sign up for your county’s free deed alert. Most Western Pennsylvania counties will email you whenever a document is recorded in your name, which is early warning against deed fraud. Sign-up links for every county we serve are at wpsettlement.com/closing-safety.

Ignore the mail that harvests the public record. Within weeks you will likely get official-looking letters offering a “certified copy” of your deed for $90 or more, “final notice” home warranty letters, and mortgage-protection insurance mailers quoting your real loan amount. Real correspondence about your closing comes from the settlement company, your lender, your realtor, or the county.

Questions before then?

Ask your agent, or call William Penn Settlement at 724-733-7700. We would rather answer a question early than fix a surprise at the table.