Most people who sell a house to a cash buyer do it once. You call one of the companies that put “we buy houses” on signs and mailers around Dayton, someone walks through, a number comes back, and you say yes. Then there is a gap of days or weeks before closing that nobody really explains, filled with emails from a title agency you did not choose and forms you have never seen.
This guide fills in that gap. It follows a house in Dayton or anywhere in Montgomery County from the signed purchase agreement to the day the deed is recorded, and points out the places where a seller has something to do, something to check, or something to ask. If you are still choosing a buyer, start with how we buy houses in Dayton and our guide to vetting a cash buyer before you sign. This page picks up after the signature.
Paying cash takes the buyer's bank, its appraiser and its underwriter out of the deal. It does not take out the title search, the payoffs, Ohio's disclosure form, the county's conveyance fee or the deed. A good buyer and a good title agency do most of that work, but you still sign things, hand over information and read a settlement statement. Knowing the order makes every step faster.
Step 1: The Signed Contract Goes to a Title Agency
Once both sides sign, the purchase agreement is sent to an Ohio title agency, which opens a file for your address. From here on the title agency is the neutral party in the middle. It holds the buyer's deposit, researches the property, collects payoff figures, prepares the closing documents and moves the money. It does not work for the buyer or for you; it works for the transaction.
Three parts of the contract decide how the next few weeks go, so reread them now:
- The closing date. A specific calendar date, not “on or about.” If you need extra days to move, this is when to say so, not the week before.
- The possession date. Usually the same day as closing. Some contracts let a seller stay a few days afterward; if yours does, the terms should be written down.
- Who pays what. Title charges, the county conveyance fee, recording fees and any outstanding city charges. Buyers who advertise that they cover closing costs should be willing to spell out which lines that means.
The title agency will ask you for a short list of things in the first few days. Having them ready saves a week:
- The name of every mortgage or home equity lender, with loan numbers.
- The names of everyone on the deed and a phone number and email for each.
- Whether any owner has died, divorced or married since the house was bought.
- Homeowners association or condo association contact details, if there is one.
- Any paperwork for old debts already paid off: payoff letters, lien releases, court satisfactions.
Step 2: The Title Search and the Commitment
The title agency searches the public records in Montgomery County for everything recorded against the property and against the owners' names: mortgages, releases, liens, judgments, easements and the tax record. The result is a title commitment, a document that says the agency is prepared to insure the buyer's ownership once a list of conditions is met.
The part to read is the list of requirements. Each one is something that has to happen before closing: a mortgage paid and released, a judgment satisfied, a missing signature obtained, an estate opened. On a clean file that list is short and routine. On a file with history, it is where the timeline gets decided.
If something on that list surprises you, ask about it the day you see it. We have written a separate, detailed guide to the liens and title problems that stall Dayton sales, including where each one is recorded and how long it usually takes to clear, so we will not repeat it here.
Step 3: The Forms Ohio and the City of Dayton Ask For
Two disclosure requirements catch sellers off guard in a cash sale, because they assume “as-is” means “no paperwork.”
The Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form
Under Ohio Revised Code 5302.30, anyone selling a house, condo or other home of up to four units owes the buyer a filled-in disclosure form describing the condition of the house as the seller knows it: the roof, the water supply, the basement, sewer, electrical, known lead paint and so on. Selling as-is does not remove the requirement. As-is means the buyer is not asking you to fix what you disclose; it does not mean you skip disclosing it.
The statute has a list of exemptions, and the common ones are narrow: court-ordered and foreclosure transfers, transfers between co-owners or to a spouse or close relative, and an executor or other fiduciary selling in the course of administering an estate when that fiduciary never lived in the house. If you are not sure whether you fall into one, ask the title agency or an Ohio attorney rather than assume.
Timing matters. The form is meant to be delivered before the buyer signs. If it arrives after the purchase agreement is signed, the statute gives the buyer a short window, three business days after receiving it and before closing, to rescind in writing. Fill it out honestly and early, and that window never becomes a problem.
The City of Dayton Certificate of Disclosure
If the house is inside the City of Dayton itself, the city requires a Certificate of Disclosure on residential transfers, filed with its Housing Inspection Division, disclosing any open housing or zoning code violations. It is filed whether or not there are violations. Open violations do not stop a cash sale; they just have to be on the record. The vacant-house guide for Dayton owners explains how that certificate works and how to check what is on file for your address.
Suburbs and townships around Dayton set their own rules for transfers. If your house is in a neighboring city rather than Dayton proper, ask the title agency at the start whether your municipality has any inspection or transfer requirement, so it does not surface in the last week.
Step 4: How Your Mortgage Gets Paid Off
You do not pay off your own mortgage in a sale. With your written authorization, the title agency requests a payoff statement from each lender. The statement shows the exact amount needed to retire the loan through a specific date, plus the interest that accrues each day after that. The agency pays it from the sale proceeds at closing and then makes sure the lender records a release.
A few details that trip people up:
- Keep making payments until closing. A missed payment adds late fees and interest to the payoff, which comes out of your proceeds.
- A home equity line has to be closed, not just paid. An open line of credit can be drawn on again. Expect the title agency to ask you to sign a request to freeze and close it along with the payoff.
- Your escrow balance comes back to you. If your lender collected money each month for taxes and insurance, whatever is left in that account after payoff belongs to you. Federal rules under 12 CFR 1024.34 require the servicer to return it within 30 days of the loan being paid in full. It arrives from the lender after closing, not at the closing table.
Step 5: Reading the Settlement Statement
A day or two before closing, the title agency sends a settlement statement: a line-by-line accounting of the sale. Read it before you sign, not at the table. These are the lines that come up on nearly every Montgomery County sale.
| Line | What it is | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Contract sale price | The price in your signed purchase agreement | That it matches the contract exactly |
| Mortgage payoff(s) | Each loan, paid through the closing date | That the lender and amounts match your latest statements |
| Property tax proration | A credit from seller to buyer for taxes you owe but have not been billed yet | That the dates run through your closing day |
| Delinquent taxes and certified charges | Past-due taxes and city charges placed on the tax bill | That nothing appears you did not know about |
| County conveyance fee | The Montgomery County fee on the transfer of the deed | Who is paying it, per your contract |
| Title and recording charges | Search, closing, deed preparation and recording fees | Who is paying them, per your contract |
| Cash to seller | What is left for you | That the arithmetic of every line above adds up to it |
Why there is a tax credit to the buyer
Ohio bills real property taxes in arrears: the bill you pay this year is for last year. So on the day you close, you have lived in the house for part of a tax year nobody has billed yet. The proration moves that amount from you to the buyer, who will receive and pay the bill later. It is not an extra charge; it is the part of the tax you would have paid if you had stayed.
The conveyance fee and the DTE 100
Ohio charges a conveyance fee when a deed is transferred, collected by the county auditor, which in Dayton means the Montgomery County Auditor. The fee is figured from the sale price, and the sale price is reported on a state form called the Real Property Conveyance Fee Statement of Value and Receipt, the DTE 100, which the title agency prepares for signature. Our Dayton title pre-check lists the county's rate. In Ohio the seller customarily pays it, but the purchase agreement controls, so check what yours says.
Step 6: The Deed: Who Signs and Where It Goes
The title agency prepares the deed. Most owner-occupants sign a general warranty deed, which promises the buyer good title. An executor or administrator selling for an estate signs a fiduciary deed instead, and the probate court's paperwork has to be in place first.
Ohio Revised Code 5301.01 requires a deed to be signed by the grantor and acknowledged before a notary or another officer the statute lists, so every owner signs in front of one. Two Ohio details matter here:
- Every owner on the deed signs. A sibling who inherited a share, or an ex-spouse whose name was never removed, has to sign or the sale cannot close.
- A spouse may sign even if they are not on the title. Ohio is one of the few states that still recognizes dower, a spouse's interest in the other spouse's real estate. Title agencies routinely ask a married seller's spouse to sign the deed to release it. Tell the agency early if you are married, separated or in the middle of a divorce; our guide to selling a house during a divorce in Dayton covers that situation.
After closing, the deed goes to the Montgomery County Auditor, who endorses the transfer and collects the conveyance fee, and then to the Montgomery County Recorder, who records it. Recording is what puts the buyer's ownership on the public record.
Step 7: Closing Day and the Money
Closing is usually an appointment at the title agency's office. You bring a photo ID, sign the deed, the settlement statement, the DTE 100, and a handful of affidavits about who you are and what you know about the property. On a cash purchase there is no loan package for the buyer to sign, which is why the appointment is shorter than people expect.
You do not have to be in Dayton to close. If you have moved out of the area, or you are handling a parent's house from another state, the title agency can send the documents to be signed in front of a notary where you are and returned by overnight delivery. Tell the agency at the start so the documents go out in time.
On the money side, a cash buyer sends funds to the title agency, and the agency pays everyone on the settlement statement, including you, usually by wire or check. Ask the agency how and when your proceeds will be sent, and confirm any wiring instructions by calling the agency at a number you already have. Never act on wiring instructions that arrive by email alone.
The settlement agent may also ask for your Social Security number or a signed certification for IRS Form 1099-S, which reports real estate sales. Whether you owe tax on the sale is a separate question for a tax professional; the form itself is routine.
Step 8: Keys, Utilities and What Stays Behind
Possession passes on the date in your contract. Before then:
- Schedule final readings, not shut-offs. Ask your electric, gas and water providers for a final reading on the closing or possession date and transfer service out of your name. Most Dayton homes are served by AES Ohio for electricity and CenterPoint Energy for natural gas; water inside the city limits is billed by the City of Dayton. A shut-off can leave an empty house without heat.
- Keep the insurance until the deed records. Cancel your homeowners policy after closing, not before. You own the house, and carry the risk, until the sale is complete.
- Agree on what stays. In an as-is sale, leftover furniture and contents are common. If the buyer has agreed to take them, the contract should say so. If not, plan the clean-out.
- Hand over every key and code. Door keys, garage openers, mailbox keys, alarm codes. Forward your mail with the Postal Service.
The Whole Sequence on One Page
| Stage | Who does the work | Your part |
|---|---|---|
| Contract signed | Buyer sends it to the title agency | Reread the closing date, possession date and cost terms |
| File opened | Title agency | Send lender details, owner contacts and old payoff paperwork |
| Title search and commitment | Title agency | Read the requirements list; ask about anything unfamiliar |
| Disclosures | You, with the buyer | Complete Ohio's disclosure form; City of Dayton certificate if in the city |
| Payoffs requested | Title agency | Sign the payoff authorization; keep paying until closing |
| Settlement statement | Title agency | Check every line against your contract and statements |
| Closing | Everyone | Sign in front of a notary; hand over keys on the possession date |
| After closing | Auditor, Recorder, lender | Watch for your escrow refund; cancel insurance once recorded |
How long that takes depends almost entirely on the title requirements. A house with one mortgage, owners who are all alive and reachable, and no liens can move through these steps in about a week or two. An estate that still needs a probate appointment, a paid-off loan the bank forgot to release, or a judgment lien will set the pace regardless of how quickly the buyer can pay.
Where the Buyer's Promises Show Up on Paper
Every company advertising that it buys houses around Dayton promises roughly the same things: a fair cash price, no fees, no repairs, your closing date. The period between signing and closing is where you find out whether those promises were real, because every one of them eventually becomes a line on a document.
- “No fees” shows up on the settlement statement. Look for any charge payable to the buyer's company, a “processing” or “administrative” fee, or a reduction in price that was not in the contract.
- “We pay closing costs” shows up as the buyer's column carrying the title, recording and other closing charges the contract assigned to them.
- “As-is” shows up as the absence of a repair credit or a last-minute price cut after a walkthrough.
- “We are the buyer” shows up on the deed. The name of the grantee on the deed you sign should be the company you contracted with, or one it told you about in advance. If a stranger's name appears, the contract was assigned, and you should ask why before signing.
That is the standard we hold ourselves to. When we make an offer, we explain how we got to the number, we name the title agency before you sign, and the settlement statement matches what we said. If you want to see how that works on your house, our page for Dayton homeowners selling for cash explains what we buy and where, and our process page walks through the offer itself. If listing would net you more, our cash buyer versus realtor comparison will show you that too.
Want a Closing Date You Can Plan Around?
Tell us about the house. We will give you a cash number, show you how we got there, and name the title agency before you sign anything. The closing date is yours to choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon can a Dayton cash sale close once I accept the offer?
It depends mostly on the title, not the buyer. When the house has one mortgage, every owner is alive and reachable, and nothing unexpected turns up in the title search, the paperwork can be finished in about a week or two. An estate that still needs a probate appointment, a mortgage that was paid off but never released, or a judgment lien against an owner sets the pace instead, however quickly the buyer can pay.
Do I have to fill out the Ohio disclosure form if I am selling as-is to a cash buyer?
Usually, yes. Ohio Revised Code 5302.30 requires a completed residential property disclosure form on most sales of homes with one to four units, and an as-is contract is no exception. The exemptions are narrow, such as court-ordered and foreclosure transfers, transfers between co-owners or to a spouse or close relative, and an executor selling for an estate who never lived in the house. If the form reaches the buyer after the contract is signed, the buyer has three business days after receiving it, and before closing, to rescind in writing, so it is best completed up front.
Who pays the conveyance fee when you sell a house in Montgomery County?
The fee is collected by the Montgomery County Auditor when the deed is transferred and is figured from the sale price, which is reported on the state's DTE 100 statement of value. In Ohio the seller customarily pays it, but the purchase agreement decides, and some cash buyers agree to cover it as part of paying closing costs. Check the contract, then check that the settlement statement puts the fee in the column the contract says it should.
Do I need to be in Dayton to close on the sale of my house?
No. Ohio requires the deed to be signed and acknowledged before a notary or another authorized officer, but that can happen wherever you are. The title agency can send the closing documents to you, you sign them in front of a local notary, and you return them by overnight delivery. Tell the agency early that you will be signing remotely so the documents go out in time, and confirm any wiring instructions for your proceeds by phone at a number you already have.
What happens to the money in my mortgage escrow account when I sell?
It comes back to you, but separately from the closing. The title agency pays the loan off using the payoff statement, and whatever balance is left in your escrow account for taxes and insurance belongs to you. Under federal rules at 12 CFR 1024.34, the servicer must return that balance within 30 days after the loan is paid in full. Watch for it in the weeks after closing, and keep your forwarding address current with the lender.
This guide is general information about how a residential cash sale closes in Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Statutes, county fees and city requirements change, and every contract is different — confirm anything that affects your sale with your title agency, an Ohio attorney or a tax professional.
