Buying or Selling a Home? Here’s How to Handle the Paperwork (Efficiently)

The home buying and selling process is exciting – but it can also be a little intimidating and stressful at times. That’s especially true when you consider all the paperwork you need to deal with! But you can keep your documents in order and ensure a smoother, less stressful experience by taking a few key steps. Today, The Home Staging Association shares some practical advice for handling your housing paperwork efficiently. We’ll look at the range of documents involved, how to create a filing system, the benefits of digitising your documents, and more!

What Kinds of Documents Come With Buying or Selling a Home?

There are numerous documents to consider when buying or selling a home. Among many others, these include purchase agreements, loan documents, disclosures, title and insurance policies, and inspection reports. Yes, it can be overwhelming to keep track of everything, but understanding what documents you’ll need will help you get ahead of the game and stay organised!

Establishing a Thorough Filing System 

One of the best ways to stay organised during the housing transaction process is to set up a thorough filing system for all your documents. This means creating folders for each document type and keeping everything in a centralised location. Make sure you label each folder clearly and keep them in a safe, secure area. You might consider organising your folders by date, which will help you easily refer back to specific documents throughout the transaction.

Another idea is to colour-code your files to make it much easier to find specific information when you need it. The ultimate goal is to establish a system that lets you easily manage your housing documents. That looks a bit different for each person, so find what works for you.

Making All Your Documents Digital

Another effective way to stay on top of your paperwork is to make all your documents digital by saving them as PDFs. Ricoh notes that this will not only reduce the amount of physical paperwork you have to keep track of, but it will also make sharing documents with others involved in the transaction much simpler. If you need to quickly to change the orientation, online tools make it easy to adjust as needed. Once you save the file, you can rename, download, or share the new PDFs with others. 

Which Documents Can You Get Rid Of? 

After the home transaction is complete, you might be tempted to toss all your paperwork. That said, it’s essential to determine which documents you can toss and which you should keep for the future. For instance, you should keep any records related to the sale or purchase of the property, as well as all tax-related documents.

On the other hand, you may be able to get rid of things like inspection reports or loan application paperwork. Understanding which documents you can dispose of and which you must retain will help you reduce clutter and stay organised in the future – without putting yourself in a precarious situation.

Wrapping Up

There’s no denying that the process of buying or selling a home can be overwhelming. The good news is that you can make the process much smoother and less stressful by staying on top of all the paperwork. Taking the time to create a thorough filing system, digitise your documents, and decide which documents you can purge will help ensure that you’re organised and ready to tackle whatever comes your way. If you take a deep breath and get started, you’ll be well on your way to your dream home before you know it!

Join The Home Staging Association to elevate your staging skills and network with industry leaders. Take advantage of our comprehensive courses, accreditation programs, and business promotion opportunities to enhance your career in home staging.

About the Author

Alice Robertson started her career as a professional house cleaner in the home organisation industry. She decided to open her own home organisation business after cleaning and organising her clients’ homes for years. She has built an impressive client list over the years which helps make spaces in homes and businesses more functional. To share the great cleaning and organising advice, she recently created Tidy Home.