Real Estate Law
We handle all types of residential and commercial real estate transactions for Central Pennsylvania clients, including preparation of agreements of sale, articles of agreement, mortgages, deeds, settlement statements, HUD-1 forms, certificates of title and title insurance. We are approved agents for Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company and we will work with your lender and handle the real estate settlement in our office.
Our Central Pennsylvania law office can also handle the refinance of your mortgage loan in the event you wish to obtain a loan with a more favorable interest rate from a different lender. The closing costs for this transaction are typically much lower than those of a conventional closing.
We also handle quiet title actions, which are legal actions brought to clear a defect in the title to your property should one arise.
Whatever your needs are concerning real estate matters in the Central Pennsylvania area, Attorney Gardner and his staff will meet with you promptly in order to begin providing the legal services necessary to protect your interests.
Our Real Estate Settlement Process
Following is our process for handling real estate settlements and closings for our Central Pennsylvania clients:
- Attorney Gardner will work with your lender to assist in the processing and approval of your mortgage loan.
- The lender will notify Attorney Gardner of the requirements for loan approval in the form of a letter.
- Once this letter is received, Attorney Gardner will perform a title search which will reveal any open mortgages, judgments, delinquent taxes or other liens on the property.
- A preliminary title insurance policy is then prepared by Attorney Gardner which contains a detailed listing of all matters affecting clear title to the property.
- Once the loan is approved, the lender will forward to Attorney Gardner a closing package containing all documents necessary to complete the settlement.
- Once all documents in the closing package are reviewed by Attorney Gardner, a settlement is scheduled and held in Attorney Gardner's office.
- Attorney Gardner will prepare a detailed settlement statement containing all fees and closing costs which will be reviewed with the client before the closing.
- The closing is attended by Attorney Gardner, his client, the seller or his or her agent (usually a realtor), and usually a representative of the lender.
- Once all documents are signed by the client and the seller, the seller is paid and in return signs a deed conveying the property to Attorney Gardner's client.
- Attorney Gardner then issues the final title insurance policy to the lender and records the deed and the mortgage in the office of the Recorder of Deeds to complete the closing.
The entire settlement, or closing, normally takes one hour or less.