You do not have to be
in the room to close
Most of a US purchase can be run from another continent. The parts that cannot are known in advance, and the paperwork for them takes weeks — which is the only real constraint.
Before you read on
- General guidance on New York practice. Notarisation and recording requirements are set state by state and must be confirmed for the specific property.
- A power of attorney is a legal instrument with real consequences. It should be drafted by the attorney handling your closing, and by nobody else.
Step 1What can be done remotely, and what cannot
The list is shorter than most buyers expect on both sides.
| Step | Remotely | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Viewing | Yes, with discipline | Video walk-throughs, floor plans, a second visit by your agent at a different time of day |
| Offer and negotiation | Yes | Email and telephone; nothing requires presence |
| Signing the contract | Yes | Electronic signature is accepted for the purchase contract in New York |
| Wiring the deposit | Yes | From your US account, which should exist by now |
| Mortgage application | Yes | Foreign national programmes are built for this |
| Opening a US bank account | Usually not | Most retail banks require you in a branch; an international relationship is the exception |
| Signing the mortgage and closing documents | Yes, with notarisation | This is where the power of attorney or consular notarisation comes in |
| Final walk-through | By your agent | Video, with the punch list agreed in writing beforehand |
| Closing itself | Yes, by attorney or attorney-in-fact | You need not attend |
Step 2The power of attorney
A document naming someone — usually your closing attorney — to sign the deed, the mortgage and the closing papers on your behalf. New York uses a statutory short form, and lenders and title companies frequently require their own version alongside it.
Signed before a US consular officer at an embassy or consulate, or before a local notary with an apostille attached under the Hague Convention. Which route works depends on your country and on the title company's requirements — ask both before booking anything.
Consular appointments are booked weeks ahead in many cities, and apostilles are issued by a government department on their own schedule. Start when the contract is signed, not when the closing date is set.
Limit it to the specific transaction and the specific property, with an expiry date. A general power of attorney handed over for convenience is a much larger thing than the closing requires.
Lenders are stricter than sellers here. Some will not accept a power of attorney at all for the mortgage documents, some will accept only their own form executed within a set number of days of closing. Establish the lender’s position at application, because discovering it in the closing week means either a flight or a delay.
Step 3Viewing a property you cannot visit
| Ask for | Why |
|---|---|
| An uncut video walk-through, taken by your own agent | Edited marketing video hides layout, ceiling height and what the windows face |
| The view from every window, filmed slowly | Light and outlook are the two things photographs distort most |
| Noise recorded with the windows open | Traffic, a school, a nightlife strip, mechanical plant on a neighbouring roof |
| The building at 8am and 9pm | Two visits at different times tell you more than any single tour |
| Corridors, refuse room, laundry, basement | Common areas show how the building is actually run |
| A floor plan with measurements | Furniture and lift dimensions decide what you can move in |
| The block, walked in four directions | Two minutes in each direction from the front door |
Insist that this is filmed by someone acting for you rather than the listing agent. The purpose is to show you the problems, and the listing agent is not paid to do that.
Step 4A workable remote timetable
| When | Do | Why it is in that order |
|---|---|---|
| Before searching | Open the US bank account; decide the ownership structure | Both take longer than the purchase and cannot be retrofitted |
| Search | Shortlist remotely, then send your agent in person | Two rounds of video before any offer |
| Offer accepted | Instruct the attorney; book the inspection | The pre-contract window is short and it is where leverage lives |
| Contract signed | Start the power of attorney immediately | Consular and apostille timelines drive the closing date |
| 4 weeks out | Convert and move the balance of funds | A wire arriving on closing day is a wire that fails |
| 1 week out | Agent's final walk-through, on video | Punch list agreed in writing before the closing |
| Closing | Attorney signs under the power of attorney | You need not be in the country |
| After | Insurance, management, tax election | Before the first tenant, not after |
For the purchase, no. For opening a bank account, almost always yes, and that is the practical reason most buyers make one trip early rather than one at the end.
It is permitted in many states and accepted by some title companies and lenders, with conditions. Confirm with the title company and the lender in advance rather than assuming.
A certificate attached by a government authority confirming that a notary's signature is genuine, recognised between countries party to the Hague Convention. Where a country is not party, consular legalisation is used instead.
It should be your attorney rather than the broker. The person signing the deed should be the person with a professional duty to you and no interest in the transaction closing.
Your agent collects them at closing and arranges access for the tenant, the manager or the contractor. Agree who holds a set, and how many exist, before the day.
Let’s talk first
Tell us where you are and what you are looking for, and we will run the search, the viewings and the closing so that a trip is optional.
RELATED GUIDES
Recent transactions
A sample of the sales, purchases and rentals we acted on in 2025 and 2026.
Real estate brokerage services are provided through R New York.
Important notice
The figures on this page are general information as of August 2026 and do not represent an offer, a quote, or a guarantee of any transaction terms. Reinvent NY does not provide legal, tax, or investment advice. Confirm anything material with an attorney and a CPA before you act on it. Nothing here is a solicitation to invest, and no return is promised. Real estate brokerage services are provided through R New York.