Real Estate Attorney in Suffolk County, New York

If you are buying or selling your home, The Law Office of Matthew Glassman is the office to call. Our rates are competitive and we have years of experience in closings. With more than three decades of experience and a history of success, you can feel confident working with our highly qualified firm.

Elements of the Real Estate Process

The Binder

We recommend that you use the services of a professional Realtor to sell your home. A Realtor, aside from advertising and showing your home, will be able to qualify your buyer. A buyer should have sold their home or at least be in contract to sell their home and have sufficient credit and assets to qualify for a mortgage in these post-subprime times. Once a buyer has been located and a price has been agreed upon, the Realtor will memorialize the terms of the transaction in a one-page document called a “Binder”.

While a Binder is of no particular legal effect, it does set forth some of the more important terms that will go into the contract such as the purchase price, the down payment amount, the mortgage amount, the date of closing and what personal property may be included with the deal. If you are a seller, you should be prepared to provide us with documents that you might have received when you purchased your home. Should you not be able to locate these documents, don’t worry. Try to at least provide us with a recent tax bill, which will give us enough property information to use in the contract.

The Contract

Once the attorneys have the binder and the other information provided by the Seller, a contract is prepared. The Seller’s attorney usually does this. The contract is normally done on a pre-printed contract form and then the attorney adds his or her own language to protect the client in an addition to the contract called the “Rider”. The attorneys for both sides will talk at this time and discuss the terms that will go into the contract so that most terms are agreed to when the contract is completed. The contract is then sent to buyer’s attorney.

At this point, the buyer’s attorney will have the client(s) in to review the contracts. If they meet the satisfaction of the buyers and their attorney, the contracts and the rider will be signed and this package will be returned to the Seller’s attorney along with a check for the down payment.

Once the Seller’s attorney receives the signed contracts, they will have their clients come in to review the contracts. If everybody agrees with the terms in the contract and any proposed changes, the Sellers sign the contracts and they are dated and returned to the Buyer’s attorney. The contract is now said to be fully executed.

The down payment is normally held in the Seller’s attorney’s Attorney Trust Account “in escrow”. This money is not the property of the attorney or the Seller at this time. The Attorney is acting as an escrow agent. Any interest that is earned on the deposit of the down payment goes to the State of New York IOLA Fund, The New York State Interest on Lawyer Account Fund (“IOLA”) helps low income people in New York State obtain help with civil legal problems affecting their most basic needs, such as food, shelter, jobs and access to health care.

The Mortgage

The mortgage is the money the bank lends to assist the buyer to purchase the house. There are many types of loans such as conventional loans and non-conventional loans, interest only loans, adjustable rate-mortgages and fixed rate jumbo mortgages. You should contact your bank’s mortgage department or a qualified, licensed mortgage broker to learn more about your mortgage options.

Generally, the contract will have what is called a mortgage contingency. This basically refers to a period of time during which the buyer should obtain his or her mortgage. Should the buyers be unable to qualify for a mortgage during this time period after making diligent applications, they may be entitled to the return of their down payment. The contract may be determined to be of no further force and the parties can return to their pre-contract status. A typical mortgage contingency period is 45 days.

Real Estate Lawyer Serving West Suffolk County, New York

Working with the right attorney can alleviate many of the worries buyers and sellers face when buying and selling properties. If you have questions about the process and are seeking reliable, experience-backed guidance in Long Island, Queens, or the greater New York City area, do not hesitate to contact The Law Office of Matthew Glassman.

Request your FREE case review when you call (631) 406-4385.