In a residential real estate closing, the “closing” is where all parties to the transaction (buyers, seller, real estate agents, loan officers, etc.) come together for the final exchange of the sale and purchase of the real estate - the title is transferred, funds are collected and disbursed, financing documents are signed, keys are given to the buyers, etc.

Certain final documents, including the Act of Sale/Deed and the Mortgage or Trust Deed, are subsequently submitted to the clerk of court in the parish where the property is located for recording.

You can only move into the residence once the closing is complete.

Due to the large amount of money typically involved and the different sources of capital, Commercial real estate closings can be more complicated than the traditional residential real estate closing process. Commercial real estate may provide fewer protections for buyers, but both parties have greater freedom to structure the contract and the closing documents. While this allows for more deal-making, it also requires greater due diligence.

When the interest rates are favorable, it makes sense for many people to refinance and secure a low-interest rate and decrease the monthly payments - potentially paying off their home loan quicker.

Refinancing is a process of revising and replacing the interest rate, term, and payments of an existing note/loan. In doing so, the borrower must apply to their current lender or a new lender to refinance an existing loan. This will require the completion a new loan application.

Construction loans are a favorable loan option for building a new home or renovating an existing property. These are specialized loan products that are typically short-term, typically a year at maximum.

Construction-to-permanent loans are a more common financing option. They are one-time loans that fund construction then converts to a permanent 30- year mortgage. During the construction phase of the building process, borrowers are typically only required to make interest-only payments.

A reverse mortgage is a loan that a homeowner (typically aged 62 or older) who has significant home equity can borrow based on the value of their home. The borrower can receive the funds as a lump sum, a fixed monthly payment, or a line of credit. Contrary to a forward mortgage—the type used to buy a home—a reverse mortgage does not require the owner to make loan payments. Instead, the total loan balance becomes due when the borrower passes away, moves permanently, or decides to sell the home. Moreover, either the borrower or the borrower's estate will not be held responsible for paying the difference in the loan balance.

Latitude Title Group helps accelerate and simplify real estate transactions by offering comprehensive owners and lenders title insurance protection as well as expert settlement services.

A title insurance policy is essential for all homebuyers, as it protects you against the possibility of potential legal action that could result in a void property transfer. Whether you're buying a home or refinancing, the title insurance covers the expense of restoring your title rights or gives you compensation if you lose your house due to a claim arising from faulty title records.

We provide a clear title guarantee on every home purchase or refinance for every buyer.

Latitude Title Group specializes in title work and provides opinions to lenders, investors, and prospective buyers as part of due diligence, loan acquisitions, or simply as part of closing transactions. Whether finalizing a loan or closing in-house or with a third party, we will take care of the title work.

A Louisiana licensed attorney prepares a title opinion and identifies visible issues in the public record. After a comprehensive title search, an attorney's professional judgment about the property owner's rights is reflected in the title opinion. To avoid negligence, our attorneys ensure the correctness of the owner's rights to property.

Our attorneys identify discrepancies and issues on time, so clients know the best course of action without delay. With our services, clients are protected from the consequences of having defective and inaccurate titles.

A person's entitlement to certain uses of immovable property owned by another is known as servitude. Examples include an easement allowing the right to cross a piece of someone else's property to get to your own or the servitude granted to utility companies so that they may cross the property to deliver services to others.

Servitudes go with the land, so if you are purchasing a parcel of land with attached servitudes, those servitudes will pass to you as encumbrances on the title. It is also crucial to identify whether the land you are purchasing is the dominant or servient parcel.

The Right-of-Way easement is a right to pass across someone else's land in exchange for fair and regular use of the property. At the same time, the landowner retains the rights and privileges of ownership compatible with the easement. In real estate, the phrase "right-of-way" refers to the right of passage over the land, not the land itself.

Right-of-ways, under Louisiana law, are treated as a version of "servitudes" and generally run with the land. Knowing of any existing right-of-ways or the need for a right-of-way is crucial in the buying and selling of property.

Latitude Title Group offers mobile signing agent/notary services. Notary Signing Agents/Notaries notarize signatures on loan documents and will travel to the signer's location to do so. Latitude Title will print and deliver loan document packages to the signer, ensuring that all needed signatures and initials are obtained for a loan document package per the lender’s instructions. We will also mail/overnight completed loan document packages to the recipient (usually the lender).

Every property owner is required to pay property taxes, and if they don’t, the parish tax collector may sell the property at a tax sale to satisfy the unpaid debt. Louisiana Revised Statute 47:2182 requires that Parish & Municipal Tax Collectors seize and offer for sale, properties upon which delinquent taxes are due. This means that the Sheriff, as Tax Collector, must conduct a “sale” of delinquent tax properties. These properties are offered at the amount of taxes due with incurred costs (certified mailings, advertisements, recording fees, etc.) Purchase of these properties at a tax sale does not immediately convey title to the properties purchased.

A bond for deed is a contract to sell immovable property (i.e. Real Estate), in which the purchase price is to be paid by the buyer to the seller in installments and in which the seller after payment of a stipulated sum agrees to deliver title to the buyer.

In a Credit Sale, title transfers to the buyer right away, and the seller has a mortgage on the property until the debt is paid in full. In both transactions, the seller of the property finances the home for the buyer much like a bank would finance the property.

An act of donation is the giving of something to another without receiving anything of value in return. It is purely gratuitous. An act of donation allows someone to “donate” their property to someone else. The donor (person donating) can donate 100% or any other percentage he/she deems fit to the donee (person receiving the property).

A Louisiana lease/rental agreement is between a landlord and tenant for the rental and use of a residential or commercial property. The tenant will agree to maintain the property and pay rent on a monthly basis to the landlord.

A quitclaim deed is an instrument that can be used to transfer the ownership of property. It is generally a quick and more cost-effective way to add or remove someone from the title to the deed. In some instances, quitclaim deeds may also be used to clear a clouded title.