FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What is title insurance? Do I need it?
2. See Title Insurance
3. How can I pay the amount due at closing?
4. If the amount owed is less than $5,000, Stribling & Crockett can take a personal check. However, any amount over $5,000 will need to be certified funds or wired. If you would like to wire your funds, please call our office for the wiring instructions. 
5. I have an escrow account. What is happening to the money in the account once I sell/refinance?
6. The money in the escrow account is yours. You should receive a check back from your lender once your closing is processed! 
7. Do I need to bring identification to closing?
8. Yes! We must verify every signer's identity. Please bring a valid and unexpired state-issued driver's license or passport to the closing. 
9. How long will my closing take?
10. Each closing is slightly different so times for each may vary. However, the average closing takes around an hour or less. If the closing is for a cash purchase, it likely will be around thirty to forty-five minutes. For all closings, our attorneys are flexible and can make the closing as quick or as detailed as the buyer and seller request. 
11. What is Homestead Exemption? Do I qualify?
12. Homestead Exemption is a small tax break on your primary residence. For more information, see Homestead Exemption .
13. I received an email asking for me to wire funds. Should I do it?
14. No. If you receive an email from anyone, including us, with wiring instructions for our office, then please call our office and verify that they are correct. 
15. Do you have any tips for avoiding becoming the victim of wire fraud?
16. See below for some helpful tips:
17. Call, don’t email: Confirm all wiring instructions by phone before transferring funds. Use the phone number from this website or a business card. 
18. Be suspicious: We will not change any wiring instructions and payment info, so be suspicious of any emails purporting to change or update the wiring information. 
19. Confirm it all: Ask your bank to confirm not just the account number but also the name on the account before sending a wire.
20. Verify before and immediately after sending your wire: You should call our office to validate that the funds were received. Detecting that you sent the money to the wrong account within 24 hours may help increase the chance of recovering your money.
21. Forward, don’t reply: When responding to an email, hit forward instead of reply and then start typing in the person’s email address. Criminals use email address that are very similar to the real one for a company or employee. By typing in email addresses, this should help you identify that a slightly altered email was used against you.