Signing the contract

I arrived early. The sellers had some issues with standard language in the contract and argued with my notary for about 15 minutes. The notary checked everything and requested additional information, such as the source of the funds, and the sellers wanted language about the sewer system included in the preliminary contract to be carried over to the final contract. Our realtor, John, prepared the translation of the document. The notary read the full contract to the sellers, and then John had to read the English translation to me. The notary was very nice and could speak English and some German. After everything was read, the signing began. Every page had to have 6 signatures: 2 from the sellers, my signature, John’s, and 2 witnesses. The whole process took about 2 hours, and by 1 p.m., it was done, and the notary handed me a document certifying that we had bought the house. Possession is on Friday, so I have to wait a few days to get the keys and bring the 7 bags into the house. It’s definitely very different from buying a house in the US. In the meantime, I’m planning to get a cellphone number, internet, and other things for the house. I’m celebrating by having a nice Italian lunch nearby.