Practice Areas

Real Estate Closings

Smith Thompson Shaw’s ALTA Best Practice Certified closing department serves as escrow agent in an average of 3,800 residential and commercial real estate closings each year.

Meet our Closing Staff

ALTA Best Practice Certified Firm

Smith Thompson Shaw has extensive experience handling residential and commercial closings. The real estate attorneys and experienced staff members at Smith Thompson Shaw are committed to being accessible to you at all times and to keeping you informed about the status of your closing. We provide prompt responses to your questions and requests and we do our best to exceed your expectations. Our real estate clients include realtors, brokers, developers, builders, contractors, private investors, lenders and numerous homeowners.

Closing attorneys are real estate lawyers who are experienced in closing property transactions and resolving any issues before you close. The attorneys at Smith Thompson Shaw will review and explain all the documents that you will be signing at the closing and will ensure that you have clear title to your property.

Commercial Closings

We have served as commercial closing agents on a wide array of projects such as restaurants, office complexes, condominium projects, hotels, apartment complexes and entire residential developments. Our office has also handled numerous transactions for the State of Florida in acquiring real property. Should you have questions about a commercial closing or wish to have our office handle a commercial closing, please contact Susan Thompson or call (850) 893-4105.

Residential Closings

Whether you’re buying or selling a home, your real estate closing attorney is there to make sure that your interests are protected and that everything goes smoothly at your closing. The closing attorneys at Smith Thompson Shaw will review all of the documentation associated with the purchase or sale of property in advance of your closing to remedy any errors, omissions or technical insufficiencies.

A great deal of research is necessary to ensure that, among other things, the title is good, there are no liens against the property and that the transaction will close as anticipated. Smith Thompson Shaw performs its own title searches which allows greater flexibility.

Most closings take approximately an hour. Bring a photo identification and either certified funds or a cashier’s check made payable to Smith Thompson Shaw. You may also need to bring other items required by the lender.

At the closing, we will:

  • Review the HUD-1 Settlement Statement detailing costs and make any necessary adjustments.
  • Your closing attorney will give you concise explanations of each document. The closing documents must be executed as written. No changes may be made to the wording of the lenders' closing loan documents.
  • Review the wood destroying organisms inspection report.
  • Review the survey and explain any issues contained therein.
  • Confirm the disbursement of the proceeds of the transaction and a payoff of all current liens against the property.
  • Record in the county land records all necessary documents such as the warranty deed and mortgage.
  • Return to the lender the completed loan package.
  • Disburse all funds in accordance with the HUD-1 Settlement Statement.

Short Sale

A short sale is a lengthy and complex process intended for lien release and possible cancellation of mortgage debt. 
With 7+ years of experience in the short sale industry, we have vast knowledge of the process and will handle all aspects of short sale facilitation to include document collection and submission of full workout package; weekly servicer follow up to ensure uninterrupted review and processing; review of the short sale agreement, its terms and conditions by our licensed attorneys; closing services and proper delivery of certified closing documents and proceeds to the servicer; post-closing follow up to ensure any pending foreclosure is properly dismissed.
While we cannot guarantee that the loan servicer will agree to accept an offer presented for short sale consideration or promise that you will be considered eligible for available short sale options, we do promise excellent service that you can rely on.

Closing Staff

Smith Thompson Shaw has extensive experience in residential closings. Contact us about our residential real estate closing services.

Contact Team