A buyer can own property without controlling it. In post-closing occupancy deals, the seller keeps living there after the deed transfers and closing happens. Most people assume ownership and possession happen at the same time, which is why this arrangement confuses buyers.
Ownership of the property and control of the property become decoupled when you give post-closing occupancy. This is where buyers misread it. Buyers often assume closing and possession happen at the same time. That is how most transactions are expected to work. The closing happens, the deed transfers, the keys are handed over, the buyer takes possession. Post-closing occupancy separates those events. The buyer becomes the owner first. Control comes after.
