Seller specifying a specific closing attorney

[Dawn Hall]

We are contemplating an offer on a house and the listing says MUST use (Bob Jones) as closing agent. What is up with that? This already smells a bit funny. The house has been used as a rental for a long time and when I asked about disclosures they said they didn't have them because it was a rental....huh....not exemptable. The woman who owns it lives a 1/4 mile from the property. It looks like there may have been a fire in the attic. We are taking a contractor to look at it. Of course, the utilities are off, so what could an inspector find. And the price is ridiculous! This is a long shot, but we'll probably ask about 1/2 of the listing. It's been on the market a while which is not typical for that kind of property here.

[Chris Clothier]

Dawn -

It is not uncommon for sellers to specify which closing attorney or title company they want to use for the transaction. We do it all the time as we have been using the same attorney for almost 10 years. That being said, you always have the right to say you are using your own attorney to close your end of the deal and the seller can use their attorney to close their end. It may cost you a few more dollars, but you can simply state that in your offer. And if the seller is adamant that you use their attorney, then you can simply walk away and not execute the contract.

But, I wouldn't be spooked simply because they want to use their attorney. It sounds like there are other issues at play that you should be more concerned about.