Real Estate

A closing that protects your investment and stays on schedule, from contract to keys. We handle residential and commercial transactions across Eastern Iowa — and the title problems that surface halfway through one.

What we handle

Residential purchases and sales, including for-sale-by-owner closings

Commercial purchases, sales, and leases

Title examination and title opinions

Deed preparation and recording

Purchase agreement drafting and review

Contracts for deed and seller financing

Easements, boundary questions, and access disputes

Landlord and tenant matters

Farm and acreage transactions

How a closing works with us

Four steps, and you know where you stand at each one.

1. The agreement. We review or draft the purchase agreement before anyone signs, so the deadlines, contingencies, and who pays for what are settled while they are still negotiable.

2. Title. We order and examine the abstract and issue a title opinion. If something is wrong — an old mortgage never released, a gap in the chain, an easement nobody mentioned — you hear about it with time to fix it.

3. The file comes together. Deed, closing statement, tax proration, and the disbursement summary. You get the numbers before closing day, not at the table.

4. Closing and after. We close, record the deed, disburse, and handle the 1099-S. The file does not close on our end until the recorded documents are back.

Common questions

Do I need an attorney to buy or sell a house in Iowa?

Iowa does not allow title insurance to be sold the way most states do, so nearly every Iowa closing runs on an abstract and an attorney's title opinion instead — and any lender, or Iowa Title Guaranty, will require that opinion. In practice an attorney is involved in essentially every Iowa closing. The question is usually whose attorney, and how early.

What does a closing cost?

It depends on what the transaction involves — a straightforward residential closing is not priced like a commercial purchase with title problems to clear. We quote before we start, and we tell you which third-party costs are separate from our fee: the abstracter's charge, recording fees, and title guaranty.

How long does a closing take?

In our experience most residential closings run about 30 to 45 days from signed agreement, driven mostly by how long abstracting and financing take. A title defect can add time, which is why we look early.

Have a closing coming up? Send us the purchase agreement and we will tell you what we see.