Real Estate

REAL ESTATE IN WASHINGTON BUYING, SELLING & TRANSFERRING REAL ESTATE IN WASHINGTON FORMS & GOVERNMENT RESOURCES FindLaw - general information on property ownership in Whatcom County, Washington http://realestate.findlaw.com/homeownership/ Online legal service. You choose the type of document you want, type in the relevant information, then the law firm reviews it and mails the document to you. Not for Canadian addresses. Most documents cost approximately $35. Click on this link to go to their website: Online LEGAL Documents Quit Claim Deed Form, FindLaw.com: http://forms.lp.findlaw.com/form/courtforms/state/wa/wa000395.pdf Real estate excise tax. See link on this page for the form. http://dor.wa.gov/content/taxes/other/tax_realestate.aspx Whatcom County's information page on what is needed to sell/transfer real estate in Whatcom County: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/treasurer/faqs/faq_transfers.jsp Phone numbers and other contact information: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/treasurer/contact.jsp Mobile home: If a mobile home or trailer is involved in the sale/transfer, contact the Department of Licensing website for title and tax information and forms: http://www.dol.wa.gov/ Gifts: If you are giving the property to someone rather than selling it, you still need to file all the title, deed, and tax forms. Most of the documents need to be notarized. CANADIANS Final documents for real estate deed transfers and loan documents must be physically signed and notarized in the United States. US notaries are not permitted to draw up real estate sale agreements and Deeds. We can only notarize your signatures on the form. If you have a large property, you may wish to contact a title company to do the work. If your property is small, contact a real estate attorney. Both can work with you by phone, email, and FedEx. You do not need to visit their offices. PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR SENIORS If you are a Washington state citizen who is over 60 years old with an annual household income of less than $35,000 a year, you may qualify to be exempt from paying property tax. Read all about the rules at the article posted by the WA Dept of Revenue website: http://dor.wa.gov/Docs/Pubs/Prop_Tax/SeniorExempt.pdf The rules are fairly simple to follow. There are several steps so read the entire article carefully. You can go to your county's Assessor's office to get questions answered in person. This program is popular, so call ahead to see if you need to make an appointment. Just call your local county's courthouse to learn the direct phone number for the Assessor's office. If you qualify, don't forget to submit a renewal application every 4 years. CONTACT US Laura has done many closings with Canadians and realizes that US documents are quite different from those used in Canada. Your calls or emails for more information are very welcome: (360) 510-6530 (604) 484-3681 ProfessionalNotary@yahoo.com