Confirm your lender needs nothing more, since loan documents carry mandatory lead times and missed signatures push closing dates. Review the settlement statement line by line with your agent. Buyers should verify their wire comes from a documented account. Sellers can sign days early through a mobile or remote notary, then focus entirely on moving.
Closing Week Looks Nothing Like It Used To
Many sellers still picture a conference room full of people, and that picture now misleads more than it helps. On the Discover South Florida Podcast, Larry Mastropieri described the old model before retiring it.
"The old school way of closing was you pick a time that everybody agrees with. Buyer, seller, lender, realtor, title company. Everybody shows up at the same time and they're all sitting around the table."
His assessment of how closings actually run today is blunt.
"That's not how it goes at all. Half the time people don't even sign in the office. They don't even sign locally. They're getting mobile notaries now, they're getting digital notaries."
South Florida accelerated that shift faster than most markets, and the reason is geographic.
"Down in South Florida, there's people doing stuff from all over the world, all over the country. It's just not convenient for somebody to go into an office and sign anymore."
Buyers Must Stay on Top of the Lender
The loan causes the most common closing-week delay, and Larry points to the window where it usually happens.
"For a buyer that has a loan, four or five business days before, you want to be on top of the lender, making sure there's nothing else they need you to sign."
He has watched the failure repeat across every kind of participant.
"I can't tell you how many times amateur realtors, amateur lenders, just confused buyers don't sign the proper paperwork that's required, and what happens is it delays the closing."
The Three-Day Disclosure Clock
Federal rules explain why a missed signature costs days instead of hours. Under the TILA-RESPA integrated rule, your final Closing Disclosure must reach you at least three business days before consummation. That timing applies whether you sign in person or remotely.
Larry describes how the delay surfaces in practice.
"There are certain requirements depending on the loan you're getting that require you sign documents a certain amount of days in advance. If you don't do those things, they'll tell you, hey, you didn't sign these documents, and now we have to push close."
Acknowledge the disclosure on the same day it reaches you. A document sitting unopened in your inbox can cost a full week once weekends fall inside the count.
Your Money Needs a Clean Paper Trail
Where your funds originate matters as much as whether you have them, and Larry flags a problem buyers rarely anticipate.
"Make sure that where you're going to wire these funds from is an appropriate account. Sometimes lenders and realtors don't talk to their buyer about that, and the money comes from some random place."
That consequence reaches all the way back into underwriting.
"Now all of a sudden we have this whole re-evaluation of the loan, because they need to understand where that money comes from. Sometimes there's no coaching there, and it creates a huge stupid issue."
Leave your closing funds exactly where your lender last verified them. A transfer between accounts, a last-minute gift, or a cash deposit each triggers fresh documentation requests at the worst possible moment.
Wire Fraud Peaks During This Exact Week
Criminals target closing week deliberately, since buyers expect wire instructions and move large sums quickly. Real estate wire fraud now ranks as the leading business email compromise pattern hitting Florida firms in 2026.
- Call your title company at a number you verified independently, never one from an email.
- Treat any change to wire instructions as fraudulent until confirmed by phone.
- Confirm receipt with the title company immediately after the wire leaves.
- Contact your bank and file with the FBI's IC3 portal within hours if something looks wrong.
Speed decides whether any money comes back. The first four hours matter more than anything that follows, and funds are typically unrecoverable after roughly a day.
Ten days from closing and unsure what still needs doing? Talk to a real estate agent near Boca Raton whose team texts you every step as it comes due, so nothing lands on closing morning. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group or call (561) 544-7000.
What Should You Check on the Settlement Statement?
Both sides should review the numbers before anyone reaches a signature line, and Larry treats this as routine diligence.
"You're reviewing what we call the ALTA settlement statement. The buyer should be doing the same thing, reviewing the statement when it arrives and negotiating any items on there that need to be addressed."
He keeps the actual risk of errors in proportion.
"Usually it's pretty straightforward. There's rarely mistakes, but sometimes there are. So make sure you understand it."
Lines Worth Checking Twice
- Purchase price and any seller credits matching the executed contract and addenda.
- Property tax prorations calculated through the correct closing date.
- Commission figures matching what each listing or buyer agreement specifies.
- Payoff amounts for any existing mortgage, which should reflect a current payoff letter.
- Association dues, estoppel fees, and any special assessment allocation.
- Title insurance premiums and which party pays them under Florida county custom.
An early review pays off once everyone reaches the table. Sellers across Palm Beach County who read the statement early sign in minutes, while those seeing it cold stop to question every line.
Sellers Should Sign Early and Move On
Larry's most consistent advice to sellers involves signing well ahead of the closing date.
"What I tell all sellers to do a week in advance of closing, sign your closing documents, assuming the title company's ready and everything's prepared. Sign days in advance."
The benefit is mostly psychological, though it matters enormously.
"Get the stupid easy thing out of the way, which is signing these documents. Now all you've got to do is focus on you, which is moving, which can be a very stressful thing."
How Remote Signing Works in Florida
Florida authorized remote online notarization effective January 1, 2020, under Chapter 117, Part II of the Florida Statutes. A Florida-commissioned official verifies your identity and witnesses your signature through a secure, recorded video session. You can join from anywhere with a camera and a valid government ID.
Three methods now cover nearly every closing situation you might face.
- Remote online notarization, typically completed in a short video session.
- Mobile notary service, where someone travels to your location, commonly for $150 to $300.
- Mail-away closing, which adds one to three business days for overnight delivery.
Confirm acceptance with your loan officer before choosing, since not every lender permits remote notarization. Sellers relocating out of Broward County often complete everything from their new city without traveling back.
Why Refusing to Sign Early Can Backfire
Some sellers hold their signature as leverage, particularly when a deal has grown tense. Larry hears that reasoning from sellers constantly.
"They don't want to sign until after the buyer signs. I'm not selling them this house unless they perform, and I don't believe they're going to close, so I won't sign in advance."
He explains why that strategy turns on its owner.
"If they perform according to the contract and sign, and you do not sign, you are now not performing, and now you will be sued for specific performance or whatever else. I'm not an attorney, but they will force you to close."
A signature does not surrender your ability to object, and Larry lays out the safer path in practical terms.
"You can tell the title company, I signed the documents a week early, but there are issues. We need to discuss, and I'm tagging in an attorney to have a conversation with you."
Ready, Willing, and Able Protects Both Sides
The same principle governs buyers facing a seller who has genuinely failed to perform. Larry describes the approach that attorneys typically recommend in that spot.
"They'll counsel the buyer to show up and sign, send the money, be ready, willing, and able to close, and then say we do not authorize the release of funds due to the seller's inability to perform under this contract."
That sequence preserves your legal position completely.
"Now you've performed to your fullest, and you're acknowledging that there's issues that are evident, and you've probably tagged in an attorney at this point."
The alternative puts your escrow deposit directly at risk.
"If you are not ready, willing, and able to perform and close, then technically you're also in default."
The entire lesson lies in keeping your signature separate from your release authorization. Buyers in West Palm Beach who withhold both frequently discover they handed the other side the argument.
Is Closing Week Different for Buyers and Sellers?
Responsibilities split cleanly, and knowing your column prevents most of the scramble.
- Buyers confirm the lender needs nothing further and acknowledge the Closing Disclosure promptly.
- Buyers keep closing funds in the verified account and wire only after phone confirmation.
- Buyers arrange utility transfers effective on the closing date.
- Sellers review the settlement statement and request a current mortgage payoff.
- Sellers sign early through the title office, a mobile notary, or remote notarization.
- Both sides schedule signing times and confirm who will attend or sign remotely.
Larry's team runs this list through templated reminders so clients never rely on memory.
"We hit you with a text message and email, and we have it all templated. Hey, do this now, let us know when it's done. Hey, heads up, do this, or don't do this."
Owners in Delray Beach and Boca Raton close faster when every task arrives with a deadline attached. Sellers moving from Palm Beach Gardens see the same result.
This page describes general closing practice in Florida. It is not legal advice, and an attorney should review any dispute over performance or escrow release.
Sign Early, Fund Clean, Close on Schedule
The week before closing rarely collapses over anything dramatic. Trouble comes from an unsigned lender document, money that moved accounts, or a seller refusing to sign until the other side moves first. We send every client a timed task list through text and email and verify the settlement figures before anyone signs. Remote signing gets arranged wherever it saves a trip. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group, Realtors® at (561) 544-7000 and share your closing date and we will map every remaining task for you.