919-732-7300 • Email Kim • Connect: facebook icon linkedin icon

Steffan Law

Real Estate

Our office handles non-bank residential, equity line, and all commercial closings. Whether you are buying or selling real estate, or need help preparing documents required by the County, we can assist you with your real estate needs.

*Due to caseload considerations, we are currently handling real estate closings only for existing clients of the firm. We are unable to assist new clients to the firm with real estate closings.*

Deed Preparation

In order to convey title to real estate, you must sign a deed transferring your interest in the property. A deed is necessary whether you are selling property or are giving a piece of property to someone. The deed must include the legal description, must be executed in front of a notary, and must be recorded at the register of deeds office. The register of deeds office has certain recording requirements, which may not be known to people who do not prepare and record deeds on a regular basis. Our firm can prepare your deed for you. We can be sure that the document is in a proper form for recordation, and we can record the deed for you. Sometimes people will prepare their own deeds, but we often find that these “do it yourself” deeds inadvertently are done incorrectly which creates problems down the road when someone wants to sell the property or to get a mortgage.

Buying and Selling Real Estate

People who are buying or selling Real Estate often have realtors working for them, but you may also need to have an attorney representing you. As a seller, there are certain legal documents that you will need to have prepared, including the deed transferring your interest in the property. As the buyer, you will want to be sure that you are getting good title to the real estate that you are purchasing. Our office can conduct a title search to be sure that you are getting good title. Only an attorney can certify good title in order to apply for title insurance. An attorney can alert you to any problems or risks they see in loan documents or in restrictive covenants.

Mortgage Refinance

Many people are choosing to refinance their mortgages. Some refinances cash out some of the equity in the home to pay off bills or to do home repairs and improvements. To refinance your mortgage, your bank will most likely require that you use an attorney to do a title search and to conduct the closing. By doing the title search we make sure that you have good title to the property. As a part of the closing, we make sure that all of the documents are correct, and alert you to any problems we may see. We explain the documents to you so you understand the terms of the transaction. We arrange for and coordinate the payoff of existing loans.

County Documents

Often when you are dividing a piece of property or are trying to get building permits or permits for septic systems, County regulations will require that you execute certain documents such as road maintenance agreements, declarations of covenants, conditions and restrictions regarding septic systems, or declarations of easement. Often the preparation of these documents requires some search of land records and coordination with the County Attorney’s office. Our office can prepare these documents for you and assist you with getting County approval of them.

Related Articles