Why Choose Us?
Majumdar Law offers services to address the unique needs and challenges that arise at every stage of a real estate project or transaction, including the following:
- Entity formation
- Commercial and residential sale agreements
- Condominium formation
- Lease negotiations
- Ground lease preparation and negotiation
- Reciprocal easement agreements, access and other easements, and property licenses
- Title review and survey matters
- Zoning, permitting, and land development entitlements
- Licensures and business permits
Trisha has extensive experience handling a variety of real estate matters including the acquisition, disposition, and development of hotels, commercial condominiums, gas stations, and retail centers.
FAQs
Do I need a real estate attorney to buy or sell property in Northampton County?
Pennsylvania doesn’t legally require an attorney at closing the way some states do, so many transactions are handled through a title company alone. That said, having your own attorney means someone is working exclusively for your interests — reviewing the agreement of sale before you sign, catching problems with title, zoning, or municipal violations early, and stepping in if an issue comes up with the seller, buyer, or lender. For anything beyond a straightforward purchase (a short sale, an estate sale, a property with a shared driveway or easement, new construction, etc.), an attorney’s review is especially worthwhile.
What is title insurance, and do I really need an owner’s policy?
A title search confirms the seller actually has clear legal ownership of the property and identifies any liens, judgments, or claims tied to it — issues that are common with older homes throughout Northampton County’s boroughs and townships. Your lender will require a lender’s title policy to protect its loan, but that policy doesn’t protect you. An owner’s title insurance policy is a one-time cost at closing that protects your equity if a title defect — a forged prior deed, an unpaid contractor’s lien, an heir who was never accounted for — surfaces after you’ve moved in.
How much are realty transfer taxes, and who pays them?
Pennsylvania imposes a 1% state realty transfer tax on most sales, and the municipality and school district where the property sits typically add their own local transfer tax on top of that — the combined rate varies depending on which Northampton County municipality the property is in, so it’s worth confirming the exact figure for your specific township or borough. The tax is calculated on the sale price (or, in some cases, the county’s common level ratio applied to the assessed value) and is customarily split evenly between buyer and seller, though that’s negotiable and should be spelled out in the agreement of sale.