I’m often asked by real estate professionals for a list of common mistakes made by closers. So I’ve assembled a list of the top ten mistakes in no particular order. Some of the items on the list seem minor but pack a powerful (and expensive) punch. The list is below but is sort of a tease and I’ll write about each of these items over the next couple months. They’ll be posted right here at knightbarry.com.

Have you made any of these mistakes? Do you have anything to share? If so, post a comment below. You can do it anonymously if you wish. Some of these are things you should never do; some are things you should never say.

1.       "First, let’s take the property out of the trust and close this loan. Then you can transfer the property back to your trust."

2.       "To whom would you like us to cut these checks? And who should we hand them to?"

3.       "I have a contact at the lender’s office who can give me a quick verbal payoff."

4.       "It takes us several days to process these documents after closing. THEN we will forward the to the title company for recording. "

5.       "I’m not a lawyer but I know exactly who should sign this document."

6.       "Mrs. Buyer, the deed shows you and your husband taking title as ‘husband and wife.’ Should we add ‘survivorship marital property’ to that too?"

7.       "Sure, we can accept the buyer’s funds in the form of a check from any title company or any lawyer’s trust account."

8.      "The water test shows clear. Let’s close!"

9.       "We work with this builder all the time. We’ve never had a problem. They do good work."

10.   "There should be enough money in this escrow to pay for the work."