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Anyone who has ever purchased a home knows the overwhelming feeling of signing all those papers on closing day. On today’s segment of All About Real Estate on Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio, David Strauss joins co-hosts Carol Morgan and Todd Schnick to share how his firm O’Kelley and Sorohan is making home closings easier for everyone.
O’Kelley and Sorohan has 19 offices in the Atlanta metro area, and Strauss is a closing attorney at the Cumming office. He says that when someone buys a home, a closing attorney enters all the details of that purchase into a database to create a closing file. Then, they review all the data and work with all parties to complete the process. Few people know that in Georgia, closing attorneys work for the lender, not the buyer, but Strauss says that doesn’t prevent him from striving to communicate clearly with the buyers. “In practice, we are a go-between,” he explains.
Strauss says that what makes O’Kelley and Sorohan different is “our customer service focus. We see it as a retail service,” rather than a law firm. Any one of the parties can become overwhelmed by the paperwork, so they make sure to answer phone calls and extend work time into the evening, since real estate buying doesn’t operate on a traditional nine-to-five schedule. Strauss also says he works closely with agents so that if they do have a particularly anxious client, he can prepare the contract in advance and walk them through any issues. Outreach with real estate agents also makes closings easier, Strauss explains. When they are educated about the process, that extends to their clients.
For first time buyers, Strauss has some advice. “Find a good real estate agent. Find a good lender.” When buyers find the first, that agent can usually steer them toward an experienced lender.
Listen to today’s segment to learn more, and visit the O’Kelley and Sorohan website. Strauss can be reached by phone at 678-513-9330.
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Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio’s “All About Real Estate” segment from Denim Marketing airs on Fridays and highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Atlanta Real Estate Forum by clicking here. Please download and subscribe to all of the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcasts on iTunes. If you like this week’s show, be sure to rate it.