Can we close on the house before we actually move?
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
Yes. Minnesota allows electronic signatures and remote online notarization, and title companies here handle out-of-state closings every week. You can sign everything from your kitchen in Phoenix and pick up keys when the moving truck does.
On stage The 60-second answer
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The longer answer
How it usually runs: documents are signed remotely or through a mail-away package with a notary on your end, funds move by wire, and the title company coordinates the timing. (One hard rule: confirm wire instructions by phone, with a number you found independently — wire fraud preys specifically on busy long-distance buyers.) The details that need a plan are physical, not legal: who holds the keys, when utilities flip into your name, and who lays eyes on the house between closing and your arrival. That last one is my job, with photos to your phone the same day.
The distance is a logistics problem, not a barrier. DM me RELOCATE and I'll map the remote version for your dates.
The next department over
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From the editor's desk
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