Seller-Side “Split” Closings

Beginning January 1, 2018, Federal Title & Escrow Company will be performing Seller-Side “Split” Closings; a new service to sellers and past clients. 

What is a Seller-Side “Split” Closing?

In the DC Metro area, because the buyer pays for both owner’s and lender’s title insurance, it is the buyer’s right to choose the title company who will insure title.  As a result, and typically, the buyer and seller identify a single title company in their sales contract and agree to use the title/closing services of that title company to handle both sides of the transaction (i.e., buyer-side and seller-side).  In other words, the seller generally agrees with the buyer’s selection of the title company and that title company performs duties on behalf of both the buyer and the seller.

However, in large part due to our visibility through online customer reviews, marketplace brand identity, and past client retention, Federal Title has experienced a growing demand among sellers to handle their side of the transaction when the buyer selects a title company other than Federal Title.  For example, in the GCAAR contract, paragraph #6, the buyer selects and identifies the title company as XYZ Company and, as we are seeing more and more often, sellers add a provision within that same paragraph that reads “*Seller selects Federal Title & Escrow Company to conduct settlement on behalf of Seller.”  By doing so, the parties have agreed to a “split” closing in which Federal Title will perform duties on behalf of the seller and XYZ Company will perform duties, including the insuring of title and handling escrow funds, on behalf of the buyer.  The two title companies will coordinate to complete the closing.

What duties and functions will Federal Title be performing on behalf of Sellers?

Beyond making available an attorney staff to answer questions throughout the closing process, Federal Title will be performing the following specific items on behalf of a seller in a designated split closing transaction:

• Reviewing the title report as provided by buyer’s title company
• Assisting with title clearing efforts as needed
• Preparing/drafting an attorney-certified deed of conveyance
• Ordering/obtaining mortgage payoff statements
• Reviewing seller closing documents, including settlement statement/CDF
• Conducting seller-side closing (explaining documents, obtaining signatures, and notarization services)
• Delivering executed documents, together with net proceeds disbursement instructions, to buyer’s selected title company

How do I order Seller-Side “Split” Closing services from Federal Title?

Simply email a copy of the sales contract to services@federaltitle.com and write “Seller Split” in the subject line. Please refer the seller to our fee schedule for more information about this service.