I need to extend the closing date. What should I do?

If you have a firm agreement of purchase and sale in place, you have an obligation to close on the closing date and in the absence of a clause in the agreement granting you a right to extend, the other party doesn’t have an obligation to agree to the extension request. 

To request an extension, first, contact your realtor to obtain his input on whether the other party will be agreeable to an extension and ask him/her to assist you with having an amendment to the Agreement of Purchase and Sale executed by the parties to amend the closing date. 

If this is not possible or if your realtor recommends that you complete it through your lawyer, send an email to your lawyer and ask that he or she request the extension from the other lawyer on your behalf. In this email, you should provide your lawyer with the exact proposed extended closing date.

When an extension is requested, you should expect to receive a letter containing some extension terms, that is if the seller does not refuse your extension.