3805 University Drive, Suite E, Durham, NC 27707                                     919-687-4050

NO Electronic Signing, NO E-Closings and NO e-recording:  Our office does NOT offer electronic signing capabilities for closing documents.  We do NOT offer e-closings or virtual closings, and we do not e-record.  Closings are handled on paper in-person at our office, although a limited number of closing documents can be done electronically by PDF scans and fax.  We can also accommodate “mail-away” closings when necessary.  Recording is done in-person at the county Register of Deeds of Office

Our services:  Mr. Reinhardt has been handling North Carolina residential and commercial title examinations and real estate closings since 1976, and has been a North Carolina board certified specialist in residential and commercial real property law since 1993.  As you can see from the name of our firm, house closings, refinances and other North Carolina property law services are the primary focus of our practice.  We routinely close real estate matters in seven counties of the immediate Triangle area:  Durham, Orange, Person, Granville, Chatham, Alamance and Wake.  We will occasionally handle work in other North Carolina counties (ie, Franklin, Vance and/or Caswell) upon special request.

For more information on what it means to be a North Carolina board certified real estate specialist, check out the NC Legal Specialization website.

Our fees:  We charge set fees for residential house closings, refinances and preparation of deeds in our seven county practice area.  These set fees vary by the type of work (closings with a loan, cash closings, owner-financing, etc.) and also vary by county.  Our fees for these services are not published here, but can be obtained by contacting our office for a quote.  We believe you will find our fees to be competitive, and a good value for the professional service rendered to our clients.

Retaining us for closing services, and where closings happen:  Contact Ms. Davis in our office for fee quotes and to schedule closings.  We close most transactions out of our office at 3805 University Drive, Suite E.  Upon request, closings can also be scheduled at offices of realtor referrals and/or at an unstaffed conference room on Morreene Road we share with another firm.

What we offer:  A North Carolina real estate attorney handles both the title examination of the property and the closing.  This concept often seems unusual to buyers relocating to our state from “title company” or “abstract” states.  In “title company/abstract” states, the title insurance company does the title search and closing, and the role of the attorney in these states, if any, is limited to rendering an opinion upon the findings of the title company.  In these states, the buyer never meets an attorney and rarely, if ever, encounters a real estate service provider which is looking out for the interests of the buyer.

The North Carolina practice is sometimes referred to as the approved attorney system.  Under this system, North Carolina title companies issue title insurance policies based upon the report and findings of a North Carolina approved attorney after a title examination conducted by that attorney.  Buyers appear for closing in the offices of the closing attorney, and after all documents required for closing are signed, escrow is usually closed immediately, documents are recorded and funds are disbursed.  The house buyer or refinancing borrower is free to select any licensed and approved North Carolina attorney for their closing.  Sellers are also free to select counsel, if they wish, but the vast majority of North Carolina residential closings are handled by one attorney.  This sensible procedure recognizes that the sale and purchase of residential real property is usually not adversarial, since both parties are trying to accomplish the same goal.   Under the current North Carolina system utilizing licensed and approved North Carolina real estate attorneys,  total settlement service costs for buyers (that is, closing services, title examination and title insurance) are among the lowest in the nation.

For more information, you might want to check out a pamphlet entitled Buying a Home in North Carolina.  This pamphlet is produced for the education of the public by the North Carolina Bar Association, and can be found online (Buying a Home in North Carolina) or by contacting the North Carolina Bar Association.

Real estate work usually comes to our firm either by the direct contact of a buyer or refinancing borrower, or by referral from a real estate agent, mortgage lender or a national accounts title insurance company.  Although we have a very busy practice, we make every effort to close any real estate transaction in which our services are requested.  Please be aware that an attorney-client relationship for a residential real estate closing will exist between the buyer/borrower client and our firm only when (1) the buyer/borrower client designates our office as the closing attorney  and (2) follows up this designation by scheduling and confirming an actual closing date with us.  We will then send the the client an engagement letter which provides more detail about the services we render, and the scope of our employment.

Real Estate Matters We Don’t Handle:  The firm does not, except in very rare cases, handle any residential landlord/tenant matters, mortgage foreclosures, or real estate litigation matters other than occasional partition and quiet title actions.  However, the firm does handle commercial matters, and readers needing advice or representation regarding commercial matters should contact Mr. Reinhardt.