Legal Services For Selling Your Home
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thinking of selling your home? We offer a full complement of legal and closing services for sellers in real estate transactions. We will first assist you in the early stages of the Offer to Purchase and Purchase and Sale Agreement. We will work to resolve and clear problems that may be found in the title examination, and prepare the deed from you to your buyer. As the closing approaches, we will work hand in hand with you to coordinate and represent you during the closing, and we will be there with you to answer questions you might have and resolve disputes that may arise at any time during the closing process. We will review all of the closing documents and fully explain their meaning and significance to you. We can execute all closing documents under a power of attorney so that you do not have to be present for the closing.
Standard Seller Representation
- Review and negotiation of the Purchase and Sale Agreement, with a seller-focused Rider, including all home inspection and contingency issues
- Preparation of the Deed
- Coordination of payoff and discharge of old mortgages, liens and encumbrances on title
- Negotiation and documentation of any extensions of deadlines
- Review of HUD Settlement Statement in advance of closing.
- Representation at closing.
We represent sellers on a fixed fee basis.
One final note: Massachusetts imposes an excise tax upon the transfer of any deed, instrument or other writing whereby realty is conveyed to a purchaser. The excise is based upon the consideration given for the property and applies whenever the consideration, exclusive of the value of any lien or encumbrance remaining on the property, is greater than $100. The tax is paid by the person making or signing the deed and is evidenced by a stamp affixed to it. The tax is $2.28 for each $500 or fraction of consideration. The excise tax is collected by the closing attorney at closing and is deducted from seller's proceeds on the final settlement statement. Here is the excise tax calculator from the Suffolk Registry website (the excise rate is the same for all MA counties except Barnstable, Nantucket and Dukes Counties - please inquire separately for those counties which carry additional taxes). https://massrods.com/suffolk/excise-tax-calculator/
Please contact us for more information.