Closings in olden times (over 10 years ago and prior) was most typically that parties, buyers, sellers, agents, etc., would all attend a signing at a single scheduled date and time.  In more recent years, and in the future I suspect, the needs and requests of parties have varied quite a bit more.  Parties are remote, parties want to come to sign on separate days or times and this is most easily facilitated by Law Firm Carolinas in part or whole due to our experience in handling transactions throughout the entireties of North and South Carolina even in locations where … Continue reading →

You would be amazed how many people come to closing without a picture ID. A notary public, often the closing attorney, is required to verify the identity of every person listed on a deed, deed of trust, mortgage, title insurance affidavit(s) and/or other document(s) requiring notarization. If you are one of these individuals, please make sure you have at least one form of photo identification with you. This can be a state-issued driver’s license or ID card or U.S. or foreign passport. Sometimes if none of these might be available, alternatives can exist but those would be on a case-by-case … Continue reading →

Under the Servicemembers Civil relief act (SCRA), the maximum interest rate that may be charged on certain VA loans is 6 percent during the period of the servicemember’s qualifying military service.  Also established with the foregoing, the SCRA restricts foreclosures on obligations held or guaranteed by servicemembers, provides protections against default judgments, and permits early termination of certain leases, including motor vehicle leases. Under most circumstances, the loan holder, your loan servicer, will determine automatically whether the borrower might qualify for this interest rate limitation and apply any reduced rate. In the past several years this has not been an … Continue reading →

Contracts and closing documents are a necessary part of any real estate transaction and there are countless resources on the internet that purport to be able to provide any number of them free or at a very low cost.  More often than not, however, the forms provided are not tailored to the party’s needs.  Oftentimes they omit important terms or language or are overbroad and put at increased risk the parties involved or getting the deal closed at all.  Since it is commonplace that real estate transactions do not always have brokers involved to provide preliminary guidance but the parties … Continue reading →

            Historically, closing on a residential property and use of related vendors to do so has been a largely local (to the property location) endeavor.  It does make sense to do so since local real estate agents, attorneys and other vendors have specific knowledge of intricacies of the area and other special processes that may be required to provide relevant advice and complete a transaction most efficiently.  Most times, it also requires a trip or three to the closing attorney’s office to sign documents and meet with other parties to the transaction in order to consummate the deal.  However, whether … Continue reading →

Now is the time of the year in North Carolina that real property tax (ad valorem) bills are going to be coming out in all counties, if they have not already.  They are most typically due upon receipt but not incurring any late charges or additional interest unless not paid by or before the first part of January of the following year.  You should check with the specific county (there are 100 counties in North Carolina) to determine exact date unpaid tax bills are considered late.             A North Carolina statute that sometimes get overlooked in connection with non-payment of … Continue reading →

Many real estate attorneys, including Law Firm Carolinas, PA, work in North and South Carolina to handle matters in both states to benefit their clients’ best interests, but require competence in the laws of both states.  There are many differences in the laws of each state, so your counsel must have requisite knowledge of both in order to handle these types of engagements for you effectively. One area of difference between North and South Carolina is how earnest money deposits made in connection with an accepted offer to purchase are treated once the contract terminates due to default. In North … Continue reading →

A property survey is typically obtained by a prospective purchaser of real property, either with or without a home currently constructed on it, during the due diligence period.  The surveyor will provide a sketch of the land that includes its legal boundaries, any discrepancies identified that may be present in public record documents and one or more of a number of items of note that could be present in connection with any specific piece of real estate (location of building(s), right(s) of way, easement(s), encroachment(s), monument(s), setback lines, any possible violation of applicable covenants, and many others).  There is typically … Continue reading →