We serve as escrow officer or settlement agent for real estate closings and have handled tens of thousands. Most were for residential property but a significant minority were commercial property, including major industrial sites, multi-family residential, and retail. We can assist you with all types of real estate transactions no matter the type or financial scale.
If Lender’s title insurance is required in connection with a closing that we are conducting, it must be added to such borrower fees as shown on Line 1101 of the HUD1 and will be computed and added when a loan amount is determined.
Some bullet points about our process of providing legal services:
This depends on many factors, all of which must align to negate the necessity to employ a realtor. Long story short, if you are asking this question, you need a realtor.
A closing is an event at a certain time and place where parties convene to transfer money or property in exchange for ownership of land. Basically one party pays another party for a house. For legal reasons, in most states, this transfer occurs within a few minutes on the same day. There are many technicalities required to ensure that certain risks are minimized. The parties need assurance (or insurance, i.e., title insurance) that their expected benefit is actually conferred. And, it’s where you go to get paid for the house you are selling – or to get the keys to your new house!
Enhanced title insurance policies cost more and insure more than standard policies. The cost and additional coverages vary by insurer. Typical added coverages include: forgery after the date of the policy, structures encroaching onto your land, past failure to get a building permit, and certain others
What is the big deal? The lady says she owns the house. Can’t I just give her a check and get a title or deed or whatever from her – and make sure she leaves the house empty of trash and all? Sure you can. It’s a free country (well, you know what I mean). But, if you do not have a lawyer signing something telling you that there are no other interested parties and that you are the legal owner (title certification), then the only safety net that you have if the Seller is intentionally or mistakenly misrepresenting ownership is the Seller. So, most reasonable people require a neutral third party (the lawyer) to investigate the ownership to make sure that what the Seller thinks or states is the ownership situation is actually true.
Click this link to get a quote for legal services, title insurance, and recording / transfer tax charges for your proposed transaction.
Please know that such Quote does not cover charges other than those listed and is not the same as a Loan Estimate, pro forma ALTA Settlement Statement or Closing Disclosure. (each of which are far superior in terms of providing financial information) (this Quoting Tool is more valuable to Loan Officers or Real Estate Agents who may be more comprehensively familiar with the process and forms)
We know that the matters we handle are important. We challenge ourselves to consider the perspective of the clients, and to be mindful of both details and larger objectives. We are dedicated to communication, efficiency, and loyalty to the client’s wishes. We believe that how each individual client perceives our service matters greatly, and we are motivated to make each and every customer satisfied.