FOR OUR BUYERS AND SELLERS
In order to make your transaction a smooth one, I have put together a list of mortgage companies, inspection services, closing companies and insurance companies with whom my customers have had good experiences. I will be updating this list regularly. You may wish to call for prices and information. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO MENTION MY NAME AND THIS WEBSITE WHEN SPEAKING TO THE LISTED COMPANIES. But first PLEASE READ:
A SPECIAL NOTE:
BUYERS: Your lender will order the appraisal once you have given a check for same. Sometimes the lender orders the survey, but usually it will be the title company or attorney, AKA the closing agent. After performing a title search on the property purchased, the title company or attorney will prepare a HUD-1 Settlement Statement and inform you of the amount of money you will need to bring to the closing. It is not unusual for this to be a very last minute thing, so please try not to feel anxious about it – it is not something that you can rush. The title company cannot give you a final figure until they have received a mortgage package from your lender and sometimes this does not happen until the very day of closing, but rest assured that everyone is working to get the transaction closed on schedule. **To eliminate stress, when possible, plan to take the day off from work, arrange to have your children looked after or picked up from school by a friend or family member.
SELLERS: Your attorney or the Buyer’s closing agent will inform you and/or your Realtor of the time of closing and provide a copy of the HUD-1 Settlement Statement with the appropriate figures on it. As explained above, it is not unusual for this to be a very last minute thing, even as late as the day of closing.
**To eliminate stress, when possible, plan to take the day off from work, arrange to have your children looked after or picked up from school by a friend or family member and have the home completely empty and clean by the time the Buyers come for their final walk through inspection prior to closing. Also, please be kind enough to make available to the Buyer all appliance/manufacturer’s papers, warranties, service contracts, etc.
NOTE: In the closing process, the lender sets the rules and regulations of the closing and instructs the Buyer’s closing agent of same. Please remember, your Realtor does not have anything to do with the actual closing process (believe me, we wish we did). Other than making it clear to everyone just what dates we are trying to meet, we have no control over lender policies or the efficiency with which they respond to our time frame. Yelling, screaming, crying, begging, threatening, etc. will not move them – they do things in their own way and in their own time. Usually, lenders do work to meet dates on the contract.
**SUGGESTION: Once again as mentioned above, when possible, plan to take off from work on day of closing – you will be a lot less stressed.
And now, the list:
NOTE: THESE ARE NOT REALTOR RECOMMENDATIONS, they are simply a guide for your convenience. Please also feel free to use your own resources to accomplish all your closing needs. If you have good experiences with vendors not on this list, please let me know and I will consider adding them.
MORTGAGE COMPANIES (all are experienced 5 star agents)
Wells Fargo Mortgage, Susan Kahn
954-369-0200 office or 954-729-7274 cell
Sterling Asset & Equity Corp., Dave Wolfe
561-330-0400 office or 561-445-2023 cell
PNC Mortgage, a Division of PNC Bank, Joshua Felzer
215-603-5383 cell
Sean Donahue, The Covenant Group
954-415-2007
seandonahue.com
INSPECTION SERVICES (all can also perform drywall & mold inspections)
Residential Inspection Services, Steve Andrew
954-345-6659
Pasqua Building Inspections, Inc., Scott Pasqua
954-604-7054 or 954-981-2365
Hawkeye Inspections, Peter Romano
954-755-8272
(leave V.M., they always return calls)
HOMEOWNER’S (HAZARD) AND NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE
REMEMBER TO PLACE YOUR HOMEOWNER’S & FLOOD INSURANCE NOW! NOTE: Your insurance agent will ask for the flood elevation certificate. This is obtained by your closing agent once the property survey is completed. You don't need to do anything - insurance agent and closing agent will communicate this.
If you are moving from out of state or from out of the country, remember to ask about insuring your vehicles, tag and license procedures, etc. Sometimes insuring all of your possessions with one agency means a better rate. The following are companies that my customers have referred to me:
Allstate, Kacy Stagan’s office, Linda Carry
954-341-4236
State Farm, Tammy Myers
954-475-0233
State Farm no longer provides homeowner's insurance in Florida, however they provide all other insurance
USAA Property Insurance (for military, government employees and their families)
800-531-8111
CLOSING COMPANIES AND REAL ESTATE ATTORNEYS
All attorneys use title companies to underwrite Title Insurance. The difference in price will be determined by your decision to be legally represented or to simply have the title company handle the transaction.
BE AWARE that Realtors and title companies do not give legal counsel - only attorneys provide that service. The price difference usually starts at approximately the $650.00 range, depending on the amount of legal counsel required. A good real estate attorney is worth his weight in gold when a problem arises and can often save you money, time and stress.
REAL ESTATE ATTORNEYS (all excellent real estate attorneys recommended by my customers)
All use their own title companys. When calling for fees, ask for the "attorney legal representation fee" and the title fees. Please go over that with me prior to hiring them.
Attorney Barry Diamond
954-752-5000
Randy Bennis
954-524-5334
Andrew Kolondra
954-346-0048
Michael Trinkler
954-753-5700
Dennis Wood
954-922-4686
TITLE COMPANIES
Advantage Title, Betty Sherman
954-344-8988
Florida Title Guaranty, Guerdy (our in house)
954-369-0337
UTILITIES
BUYERS: REMEMBER TO HAVE UTILITIES TRANSFERRED INTO YOUR NAME FOR DAY OF CLOSING. Call about 3-4 days prior to closing for this, giving the Seller a chance to call also for a disconnect.
If you would like us to take care of this for you, we will need your S.S.# and a deposit for each service when required, amount to be forwarded. It would be our pleasure to do all of this for you, however, it might be simpler for you to take care of this yourself, since they sometimes ask for credit information.
Florida Power and Light (FPL-electric) 954-797-5000
Bell South AT&T (Telephone) 954-780-2355
Water
Coral Springs S. of Wiles 954-753-0380
Coral Springs N. of Wiles 954-341-5645
Parkland 954-753-5040
Margate 954-972-6454
Tamarac 954-724-1330
Coconut Creek 954-973-6782
Boca Raton 561-393-7750
Cable T.V.
Coral Springs Advance Cable 954-753-0100
Parkland, Comcast 1-800-COMCAST
Margate, Comcast 1-800-COMCAST
Coconut Creek, Comcast 1-800-COMCAST
Tamarac, Comcast 1-800-COMCAST
Waste Management (Trash pickup)
Most cities 954-974-7500
If you have had a good experience with an attorney, title company, insurance company, trades people or any other customer service, please let us know and we will gladly consider adding them to our list.
If you wish to fax me a line letting me know that you were happy with our services, I would love to put it on this website.
Happy Closing Day,
Susan Mitchell, REALTOR
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Florida Realty
“Experienced Realtors Save You Money”
954-309-4900 Cell
954-255-2940 Fax
susanavenue@susanmitchell.com
susan@susanmitchell.com
SusanMitchell.com
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