Over the past several months, I have had a number of closings delayed because the seller or one of the sellers was deceased. You have many issues to address during your initial listing appointment, but this is a significant matter that shouldn’t be overlooked. Below are suggestions to eliminate or minimize a delay to your closing.

Prior to the first meeting with a prospective seller, research who actually owns the property. You can accomplish this by obtaining a copy of the deed through the Georgia Clerks Authority’s website (www.gsccca.org). There is a cost associated with this website, but many of the brokerages already have an account. As long as the individual(s) on the most current deed are at the listing appointment and sign the listing agreement you are good to go (assuming they remain alive through the day of closing). Do not rely on the property record card. These cards are only updated once a year and are not necessarily accurate as it relates to ownership.

As I was trying to figure out what to post this week I ran across one of my past blog entries. After reading it again, I felt it was appropriate to update and re-post. After all, it’s exactly how I felt then and even more so now.

Every realtor must demand service, accessibility and the pursuit of perfection from his or her closing attorney. Demanding these three things is the only way to ensure that your real estate business is able to focus on what you do best – helping people find homes and getting listings sold. You are entitled to demand these three things regardless of whether you (1) send the closing attorney 50 closings a year or just one or (2) have a long-standing personal relationship with the closing attorney or just working with him or her for the first time. This is what you deserve as a real estate professional.

You Should Consider An Early Walk-Through Inspection

Over the past several months I have been getting calls the day of or the night before closing regarding repairs that had not yet been completed or items that had been removed from the property that were supposed to remain. Whether you are the selling or listing agent, this is the last thing that want to be dealing with at this time. This post will provide a few suggestions on how to hopefully minimize the chance of this happening on one of your closings.

Brannen, Searcy & Smith, LLP is looking to hire ONE well-qualified real estate paralegal to join the amazing team of paralegals we currently have.

The applicants MUST have a MINIMUM of 3 years work experience as a real estate paralegal/closer.

Equally as important, the applicant MUST have a wonderful rapport with real estate agents and lenders.

• Top Pay
• Full Benefits
• Team-Oriented Work Environment

If you know of any qualified applicants please forward this post to them. All resumes should be submitted to Joel Gerber at jgerber@brannenlaw.com

As always, if you need help with anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime at (912) 484-1996 (even nights and weekends) or email me at jgerber@brannenlaw.com.

You can find Joel on Google+ | Facebook | Linkedin

I am pleased to announce I was selected as Best Lawyer in the Connect Savannah 2016 Best of Savannah issue. As a real estate closing attorney I get to work with the best Realtors, lenders and clients every day. I would like to recognize my firm Brannen, Searcy & Smith, LLP for its continued support and my amazing team of paralegals.

Thank you so much for this wonderful honor.

As always, if you need help with anything at all, please do not hesitate to contact me anytime at (912) 484-1996 (even nights and weekends) or email me at jgerber@brannenlaw.com.

You can find Joel on Google+ | Facebook | Linkedin