Foreign-buyer transactions die at the closing table for predictable reasons — and every one is avoidable with a checklist run early. Here is the attorney-level sequence we use to take a cross-border U.S. purchase from offer to recorded deed without surprises.
Verify identity & source of funds — first
Before anything else, confirm who the buyer truly is and where the money comes from. Banks, title, and escrow will all ask; getting documents up front prevents a freeze later. Entity buyers: identify the human beneficial owners.
Choose the ownership structure deliberately
Individual name, LLC, or trust? Each carries different tax, liability, privacy, and estate consequences for a non-U.S. person — including potential U.S. estate-tax exposure on U.S.-situs assets. Decide before the offer, not after, and coordinate U.S. and home-country counsel.
Plan for FIRPTA early (it's a seller issue too)
The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act can require withholding (commonly 15%) when a foreign person sells U.S. real property. On the buy side, structure with the eventual exit in mind; on the sell side, confirm withholding, exemptions, and withholding certificates so funds aren't trapped at closing.
Solve financing — or confirm all-cash
Many foreign buyers pay cash (about 47% per NAR). If financing, line up a foreign-national mortgage lender early — no U.S. credit history changes everything about timing and documentation.
Get an ITIN in motion
A non-U.S. buyer will generally need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number for U.S. tax filings tied to the property. It takes time — start it, don't discover it at closing.
Coordinate title, escrow & funds across borders
International wires, currency conversion, and time zones add days. Confirm escrow instructions, wire-fraud safeguards, and that the buyer's funds will clear on the closing schedule. Verify recording requirements for the chosen entity.
Disclosures, insurance & the closing package
Required disclosures, property and (in Florida) flood considerations, and a clean closing package the buyer actually understands — ideally with the governing-language and any reference translation handled in advance.
GCRID Takeaway
Run this checklist at the offer stage, not the closing. The friction in cross-border deals is entirely manageable — but only if someone on the U.S. side knows the sequence. That capability is what separates a referral from a closing, and it's the standard GCRID positions in every corridor.
This is a general practitioner overview, not legal or tax advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. FIRPTA, ITIN, entity, and estate-tax treatment are fact-specific and change — engage qualified U.S. counsel and a cross-border tax advisor for any actual transaction.