Real Estate Transactions

Buying, Selling and Re-Financing

Buying, selling, or refinancing your home or property can be very time consuming in the midst of on otherwise busy time in your life.  A real estate transaction typically involves appraisals, home inspections, loan applications, and meetings with insurance agents.  The last thing you need to worry about is whether your legal rights are being protected.  Our attorneys are here to guide you through the entire process to ensure no details are overlooked. We are confident, experienced, and thorough, and we have established business relationships with a wide variety of real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders throughout the State.

The hardest part of a real estate transaction is often the unknown.  It is important to be sure that all steps related to a real estate transaction are handled properly to eliminate unanticipated problems in the future.  What do you do if your home inspection uncovers a problem?  Is your property's chain of title clean?  If not, how do you fix it?  Have  all the closing costs and credits been properly calculated?  What do you do if the other side refuses to move forward?  These are just a few examples of why you need competent real estate attorneys to assist you.

Real estate transactions often do not confine themselves to normal business hours.  Our attorneys offer flexibility in the scheduling of your closing, no matter the time or day of the week, and we can be reached and are available beyond normal business hours.  Your closing can be held at a location of your choice depending on what is most convenient for you.

No two real estate transactions are exactly the same, so please feel free to contact us for a free consultation and to ask any specific questions you may have.

Real Estate Terms

Adverse Possession - Possession inconsistent with the right of the record owner.

Deed - A written instrument duly executed and delivered for the purposes of conveying title to real estate. 

Easement - A privilege or right of use of enjoyment which one person may have in the lands of another; for example, a right-of-way for utility lines or joint driveway.

Encroachment - The presence of a structure or any improvements partly or entirely upon the property of another.

Encumbrance - Any right to or interest in land which may be held by third parties to the lessening of the value of the title to real estate; such as a judgment, unpaid taxes, other liens or easements.

Equity - The interest or value which an owner has in real estate over and above the debts against it.

Grantee - The buyer of real estate Grantor - The seller of real estate. 

Lien - A hold or claim which one person has upon the property of another as a security for some debt or charge. 

Mortgagee - The lender under a mortgage. 

Mortgagor - The borrower under a mortgage. 

Restriction - A limitation placed upon the use of real estate. Some common restrictions are setback lines prohibiting the erection of any part of a building less than a specified number of feet from the street line. 

Title - The sum of all the facts on which ownership is founded, or by which ownership is proved. 

Title Defect - Any circumstance that adversely affects or restricts the title or marketability of the property. 

Title Failure - Any circumstance that defeats the right of ownership of property by the owner of record. Title Search - The examination of records comprising a history of the title to real estate. 

Warranty Deed - A deed containing a covenant whereby the grantor agrees to protect the grantee against any claimant not recited in the deed. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________