Typically, in the state of Florida, the seller is responsible for the documentary stamp tax on the deed. In most counties in Florida, they’re responsible for title insurance and the real estate brokerage fee; however, none of those are actual laws, but rather, customs that have been followed over a long period of time. All of these items can be negotiated at the time of contract.

It’s important that if you’re using an in-house title insurance company, which essentially means that the real estate brokerage or the agent has an ownership interest in the title agency, it’s important to get a second opinion. A real estate attorney has a fiduciary duty to act in your best interests. In those situations, the other parties may or may not have a duty to act in your best interest, so it’s always a good idea to get a separate quote if your agent is encouraging you to use their in-house title company.

It’s important, I think, to hire both professionals during a transaction. Each party brings a different skillset to the table. A licensed Florida attorney is there to represent you and watch out for your legal interests. A real estate agent has expertise when it comes to the market itself, but a real estate agent does not necessarily have fiduciary duties to where they have to keep your best interest in heart at all times. An experienced Florida real estate attorney can assist you in this process, working together with your agent to bring about the best result.

Every real estate transaction has closing costs. Those are costs, fees, taxes that are in addition to the sales price. A licensed Florida attorney can advise you on whether or not you’re paying the proper closing costs or whether the other party’s trying to shift some traditional closing costs onto you.

Contingencies are parts of a contract. Lawyers often refer to them as conditions proceeding, which are things that must occur for the closing to move forward. For instance, the buyer may have an inspection contingency and may have a certain number of days to inspect the property or they don’t like the inspection results and may be able to back out of the contract. Another common contingency is the financing contingency where the buyer has a certain amount of time to obtain financing or they don’t have to follow through and close on the deal. It’s important to consult with an experienced attorney that can tell you, as the seller or the buyer, what contingencies are necessary or which contingencies may not be in your favor that you want to negotiate out of the contract.

It’s important to do a title search any time you buy a piece of real estate. A title search will show you a history of the property. It will show you if there’s any liens on the property or unpaid mortgages or any problems that could affect your title to the property. Title insurance is commonly seen in most transactions in Florida. Anything involving financing, the bank is going to require title insurance. Title insurance is exactly what it sounds like. It insures that no one has a claim to the title of your home. It’s insured up to the full purchase price and it grants you protection from anyone coming back to say they have a claim on the property.

Simultaneous closings can have a lot of issues. That’s typically when a person is selling a house and buying a house at the same time. Depending on the situation, a good real estate attorney can provide contingencies in the contract that will allow you to stay in the house after closing or you have to make arrangements for temporary lodging. Either way, it can be very tricky when you’re selling two … selling a home and buying a home at the same time.

A real estate broker and a real estate lawyer have different skillsets. A real estate broker should have a good knowledge of the market. A real estate attorney is going to advise you on where you stand legally, make sure that any clauses that you want in the contract are put into the contract and written in a legal and enforceable way. The best real estate transactions are when the real estate agent and real estate attorney work hand in hand to represent your best interest.

If the inspection is not satisfactory, it goes back to what are the terms of the contract say. In Florida, there is two commonly used contracts. One of which is an AS-IS contract. The AS-IS contract usually give a period of days, anywhere from three to 15 days, for the buyer to inspect the property. Essentially, under that contract, the buyer can back out for any reason or no reason. However, if you’re using a different type of contract that doesn’t allow for the buyer to back out based on the inspections, then the seller may be able to hold the buyer to the contract and proceed towards closing.

Most people when they purchase a home, it’s the largest financial transaction of their lives. Title insurance ensures that no one has a claim on your property or can come back and make a claim in any way. If you’re borrowing money to purchase a property the lender is going to require that you obtain title insurance. The title insurance in general is a very good idea when purchasing property.