Buying and selling remotely? (documents, banks, property, escrow)

[Pennies4Penny]

Is it possible to complete an entire real estate transaction from online? Can all the documents, title transfers, etc be completed this way through emails, maybe even through snail mail, or does it HAVE to be done in person? TIA

[jackmichigan]

Nothing needs to be done in person but some documents--such as a Deed--may need to have an actual signature.

[Okey Dokie]

And those docs that require an actual signature probably will need to be notarized.

[2bindenver]

It can be done online and via mail. Certain documents need to be notarized. It's called a mailout. I have even transferred property with people living outside the USA.

[honobob]

DocuSign for online signatures. I have also signed documents at a title company that was affiliated with the escrow company where the property was.

[Silverfall]

They don't have to be done in person, but if you are in the US then you would need to have a notary take care of some documents. They have a mobile notary service called Bankserv that will meet you wherever you are to notarize documents. If you are outside the US, then you will need to have docs notarized at the US Embassy of wherever you are. If you are on a military base, though, they often have a notary there.

[oldtrader]

In foreign countries the US Embassy does not notarize. They are witnessed by embassy officers such as one time I a client had them done in Turkey by the American Ambassador himself.

When I turned over the paperwork to the escrow company for filing, the young woman refused them because it did not have a notary seal. I told her to call the manager over. She took one look, and told they young woman that the signature of the American Ambassador was preferable over an out of country notary, or any other notary.

[Pennies4Penny]

So would buying and selling property in the US while living in a foreign country (still US citizen) be a huge pain in the booty, or is this a fairly easy process?

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

In foreign countries the US Embassy does not notarize. They are witnessed by embassy officers such as one time I a client had them done in Turkey by the American Ambassador himself.

Yes they do. They just notarized documents for a client in Kuwait. Kuwait has a lot of Americans so it might be they have enough work for an actual notary.