Yes, closings can be done by mail, particularly if you give your realtor/agent a power of attorney--it can and *should* be an extremely limited one, which by its terms only applies to this one transaction--to enable him/her to sign anything that needs to be signed the day of (i.e. not advance). This is how I sold my father's home in FL after he passed away, for example--I did not travel from NJ to FL for it, but executed certain documents in advance and provided a POA for anything else. The realtor should know how to do this; if not, a real estate attorney will.