Your closing day Hampton Roads walkthrough should not be the first time you’ve heard the word “escrow,” looked at a Closing Disclosure, or thought about who pays for what. Closing day is when years of saving, months of searching, and weeks of paperwork all collapse into a 45-minute appointment. Knowing what is coming makes the difference between a calm closing day Hampton Roads signing and a tense one.
I’m Sean Hudgins. I’m a Navy Surface Warfare Officer veteran turned Realtor with Keller Williams Coastal Virginia Chesapeake, and I’ve sat through closings in every Hampton Roads city. Some glide. Some stall. The ones that glide all share the same thing: the buyer or seller knew exactly what was supposed to happen before they walked in.
In This Article
What Actually Happens on Closing Day Hampton Roads Buyers Should Expect
Closings in Virginia are conducted by a settlement agent — usually a title company or real estate attorney. You’ll meet at their office or, increasingly, sign by remote online notarization (RON) if your lender allows it. The session itself runs about 30 to 60 minutes for a buyer. Sellers typically sign in 15 to 20 minutes and don’t always need to be there in person.
Here’s the core sequence:
- Final walkthrough — usually 24 to 48 hours before closing
- Wire of the down payment and closing costs to the settlement agent
- The signing appointment itself
- Funding (lender releases the money)
- Recording at the local circuit court
- Keys
That last bullet matters. In Virginia, you do not necessarily get keys at the table. You get keys at recording — when the deed is officially filed with the city or county. Most Hampton Roads recordings happen the same day if you close before noon. If you close at 4 p.m., recording may slide to the next morning. I’ve seen plenty of buyers expect to move in that night and end up at a hotel.
What to Bring to Closing
- Two forms of ID — at least one government-issued photo ID. A military CAC card works.
- Wire confirmation — proof you sent funds to the title company. Never bring a personal check; certified funds and wires are the standard.
- Proof of homeowners insurance — your binder and one year paid up front, unless escrowed
- Cashier’s check for any small balance — sometimes the final number shifts $30 at the table
- A pen you like — you’ll sign your name 30 to 50 times
For VA loan buyers, also bring your Certificate of Eligibility if your lender hasn’t already passed it through. The settlement agent doesn’t need it for signing, but it’s saved a couple of my clients a frantic phone call.
Read Your Closing Disclosure Three Days Out
Federal TRID rules require your lender to send a Closing Disclosure (CD) at least three business days before closing. Read every line. The document is a side-by-side of what your loan estimate said versus what you’re actually about to sign for. Common things to verify:
- Loan amount, interest rate, and monthly payment match your most recent rate lock
- The seller credit you negotiated shows up correctly
- Property tax and insurance escrow numbers look reasonable for your city
- The “cash to close” line matches what you’re prepared to wire
- VA funding fee is correctly calculated (or correctly waived if you have a service-connected disability)
If something is off, your lender has time to fix it. If you wait until you’re at the closing table, the three-day re-disclosure clock can push your closing back. Read it the day it lands in your inbox.
Wire Fraud Is the Biggest Risk on Closing Day Hampton Roads Settlements Face
The most common way buyers lose money is wire fraud. A scammer spoofs the title company’s email, sends fake wiring instructions, and the buyer wires $50,000 of down payment to a criminal account. The FBI tracks this as Business Email Compromise and it has hit Hampton Roads buyers more than once.
Three rules I give every client:
- Never trust wiring instructions you only received by email. Period.
- Call the title company at the number you have on file (not the number in the email) and verbally confirm the routing and account numbers before you wire
- After wiring, call again to confirm receipt
If the title company changes wiring instructions on you 24 hours before closing, treat it as suspicious until you confirm by phone.
What Buyers Actually Pay at Closing
Buyer closing costs in Hampton Roads typically run 2% to 5% of the purchase price, depending on loan type and how aggressively you negotiated seller concessions. On a $399,000 home — the median sale price for Chesapeake right now according to Redfin — that’s roughly $8,000 to $20,000.
The big buckets:
| Cost Bucket | Approximate Range | Who Pays Typically |
|---|---|---|
| Lender origination & underwriting | $1,200 – $2,500 | Buyer |
| Appraisal | $575 – $750 | Buyer |
| Title insurance (lender’s) | ~0.4% of loan | Buyer |
| Title insurance (owner’s, optional) | ~0.4% of price | Buyer (optional) |
| Settlement / escrow fee | $700 – $1,200 | Buyer or split |
| Recording fees + grantee tax | ~$150 + $0.0833/$100 | Buyer |
| Prepaid taxes & insurance escrow | 3 – 12 months | Buyer |
| VA funding fee (financed in) | 2.15% – 3.3% first use | Buyer (if VA) |
Sellers in Virginia typically cover the grantor tax ($1.00 per $1,000), a portion of the settlement fee, the real estate commissions, and any negotiated concessions. The Closing Disclosure breaks all of this out cleanly — page 2 is where the real numbers live.
Military-Specific Closing Day Items
For active-duty buyers using VA financing, a few things deserve special attention. First, the funding fee. Most first-use buyers pay 2.15% (with $0 down) or 1.50% (with 5%+ down). Subsequent users jump to 3.30%. Service-connected disabled veterans and certain Purple Heart recipients have the fee waived entirely — confirmed via the COE. Verify this is correct on your CD.
Second, occupancy. VA loans require you to occupy the home as your primary residence within 60 days of closing. If you have orders that delay arrival, your spouse can satisfy occupancy in your absence — but the lender needs that documented. Don’t sign the occupancy affidavit if you can’t actually meet the requirement.
Third, power of attorney. If you’re at sea or deployed, a properly drafted, lender-approved POA can let your spouse or designee sign on your behalf. Each lender has its own POA template. Get it approved 30 days before closing — not the week of.
Final Walkthrough — Don’t Skip It
The walkthrough is your last chance to confirm the home is in the condition you agreed to buy. I do walkthroughs the day of closing or the day before. We check:
- Repairs the seller agreed to do are completed and documented
- All appliances that conveyed are still in the home and working
- HVAC, water heater, and plumbing run
- The home is broom-clean and personal items are removed
- No new damage from the seller’s move-out
If something is wrong, we call the listing agent before signing. Most issues are negotiable — the seller can leave funds in escrow for the repair, or the title company can hold a credit. Once you sign, your negotiating room drops to nearly zero.
After You Sign
Take photos of every signed page (settlement agents will give you a digital copy too). Save the Closing Disclosure and the title insurance policy somewhere you can find them in five years. Switch utilities into your name — power, water, gas, internet — for the day of closing. Change the locks. File for the homestead exemption if you qualify. Update your VA Certificate of Eligibility if you used VA financing.
And eat a good meal. The mental load of closing day is real, and you’ve earned the celebration.
Want a Closing Day Hampton Roads Walkthrough Before You’re There?
Every buyer I work with gets a closing-day prep call about a week out. We go through the CD line by line, talk wire instructions, and run through what to expect at the table. If you’d like that same prep — even if you’re not currently working with me — let’s talk. You can also search Hampton Roads homes if you’re still hunting. The goal is simple: make closing day Hampton Roads buyers walk into feel like the easy part of the deal.