Buying
A house is a contract. A lot is a contract with a question mark.
Offers on houses move fast. Offers on land move slower and hide more: an access road that crosses a neighbor's parcel, a well nobody tested, a boundary that follows a fence instead of a survey.
We read the contract before you sign it, order the title work, and tell you in a page or two what we found and what we'd change.
Contract and addendum review
Title search with a plain-English summary
Access, easement and survey check for land
A lawyer beside you at closing
The fee
What the flat fee covers, and what it doesn't
A house and vacant land or acreage each have their own flat fee, quoted in writing before you hire us.
Your contract, read first
The offer, addenda and any seller disclosures, with a call about what to change before you sign.
Title and survey review
We order the title work, read the exceptions, and compare the recorded survey with the deed.
Closing day
The signing, the wire to the seller and the deed sent off for recording.
Paid to others, not us
Title insurance, recording fees, transfer taxes, your lender's charges and any new survey. Each shows on the settlement statement.
Before you make an offer
Is it too late if the offer is already signed?
Not always. Many contracts leave you days to inspect, review title or arrange financing. Send it over and we'll tell you which deadlines are still open.
Do I need a lawyer for vacant land?
Land has no inspector's report to lean on, and its problems are legal ones: access, easements, water, what you're allowed to build. Having a lawyer read the title is a small part of the cost of the purchase.
What about a well or a septic system?
We don't test them, but we make sure the contract gives you time to. Inspectors and the county do the testing; we read what they send back.
Can you meet us at the property?
When a boundary matters, we'll walk it with you and your surveyor. We quote the time first.
Found a place? Send us the contract.
Tell us the address and the closing date. We'll tell you what to watch for.