Residential Real Estate Attorneys in the Capital Region

Buying or selling a home in New York runs through an attorney’s office — that’s how the state structures residential closings, and it’s where the details that protect your investment actually get handled. Ianniello Anderson, P.C. has represented Capital Region homebuyers, sellers, and refinancing homeowners since 1971, with four offices serving [Clifton Park](/clifton-park/), [Albany](/albany/), [Saratoga Springs](/saratoga-springs/), and [Glens Falls](/glens-falls/). Our [real estate practice](/real-estate/) handles contract review, title work, and closings in-house — including title insurance issued directly through our office. Call **(518) 371-8888** to start a conversation.

Buying a Home in New York

When you go to contract on a home, the document the seller’s agent puts in front of you is the starting point, not the finish line. New York real estate contracts are negotiated and amended through riders — and what those riders say (or fail to say) shapes everything that follows: your inspection rights, your mortgage contingency, what stays in the house, what happens if the appraisal comes in low, and how earnest money is held and released.

Our team handles the buyer side of residential transactions from the moment a signed contract reaches our office:

• Contract review and rider negotiation. We read every term, flag the ones that need to change, and negotiate the riders that protect you — financing contingencies, inspection rights, attorney approval periods, and any property-specific concerns.
• Title and survey review. We order and review the title search and survey, identify exceptions or title defects, and coordinate with the seller’s attorney to clear anything that affects your ownership.
• Mortgage coordination. We work directly with your lender — reviewing the commitment letter, coordinating the closing disclosure, and making sure the file is ready when the rate lock matters.
• Closing representation. We prepare you for the closing table, review every document you’ll sign, and handle the disbursement of funds.
• Title insurance. Issued through our in-house title operation — see the section below.

First-time buyer or your fifth purchase, the process is the same on our end: explain every document, translate the legal terms into plain language, and answer your questions before you sign.

Selling a Home

Selling moves on a different timeline than buying, and the legal work is concentrated at two points — preparing the contract package and preparing the deed and closing documents.

What we handle for sellers:

• Contract drafting. We draft the contract of sale from your terms, including riders that reflect what was actually agreed during negotiation. If the buyer’s attorney sends a contract, we review and revise.
• Mandatory disclosures. New York’s Property Condition Disclosure Statement and the seller’s options under it (including the credit alternative) — we walk you through it.
• Title clearance. If the title search turns up an old lien, an undischarged mortgage, a missing satisfaction, or any other title defect, we resolve it before closing rather than letting it derail the deal.
• For Sale by Owner transactions. FSBO sellers don’t have a listing agent in the middle of the negotiation. That makes attorney involvement more important, not less — we draft the contract, manage the back-and-forth with the buyer’s attorney, and keep the transaction on a clean track.
• Closing prep. Deed preparation, transfer tax filings, payoff coordination with your existing lender, and the funds flow on closing day.

Decades of representing both sides of the table means we know what the buyer’s attorney is going to ask for — and we get it ready before they do.

What a Closing Actually Looks Like

For most clients, the closing itself is one of the few times in life when a major financial transaction happens in person around a table. Knowing what to expect makes the day easier.

A typical residential closing involves:

1. Document review and signing. Deed, note and mortgage (for buyers with financing), HUD/closing disclosure, affidavits of title, transfer tax forms, and any lender-specific paperwork.
2. Funds disbursement. The buyer’s funds and loan proceeds are wired to our office, payoffs to the seller’s lender are sent, real estate commissions are paid, and the seller receives the balance.
3. Title transfer. We record the deed and mortgage with the county clerk’s office and issue title insurance policies to the new owner and the lender.
4. Keys and possession. Once funds clear and the documents are signed, the buyer takes possession.

We prepare clients ahead of the closing so nothing is a surprise at the table. If your matter is straightforward, the closing itself can move quickly. If it isn’t, you’ll have an attorney who’s been there before sitting next to you.

In-House Title — Issued Through Our Office

A lot of law firms refer title work out. We don’t. Our office issues title insurance directly, which means the title search, the curative work, and the policy itself all stay with the same team handling your closing. That has practical consequences:

• One file, one team. When the title search turns up an issue, the attorneys reviewing it are the same attorneys who will close the deal — not a separate vendor on a different timeline.
• Faster curative work. Old liens, undischarged mortgages, and chain-of-title issues get worked in parallel with the closing schedule rather than sequentially.
• Direct coordination with underwriters. We know what each title underwriter requires for curative documentation and we deliver it in the form they expect.
• Policies issued at closing. Owner’s and lender’s title insurance policies are prepared and issued through our office.

For a deeper look at what title insurance covers and why every buyer should carry it, see our [title insurance](/real-estate/title-insurance/) page.

What to Expect Working With Our Team

Residential real estate is built on small details handled correctly and repeatedly — contracts read carefully, deadlines tracked, communications answered, surprises surfaced early. That’s where the bulk of our work happens.

When you bring a transaction to us, you’ll have a direct line to the attorney and paralegal handling your file. We respond to calls and emails promptly, we tell you what’s happening between contract and closing, and we flag issues as they appear rather than at the closing table. If you’re juggling a home sale and a home purchase on overlapping timelines, we coordinate the two so the funds and dates line up.

We also handle [refinancing](/real-estate/refinancing/) for Capital Region homeowners — many of our buyer clients come back years later when they’re refinancing with a new lender — and [commercial real estate](/real-estate/commercial/) for the same regional client base.

Have a Closing on the Horizon? Start with a Conversation.

Whether you have a signed contract in hand, you’re about to make an offer, or you’re sorting out a transaction that’s already gotten complicated, the right time to bring in a real estate attorney is early. We’ll give you straight answers about what your contract says, what the title search shows, and what to expect between now and closing.

Call **(518) 371-8888** to speak with our real estate team, or fill out the form on our [contact us](/contact-us/) page and a member of our team will be in touch within one business day — often sooner. If your matter is time-sensitive, please call us directly.

You can also learn more about our [title insurance](/real-estate/title-insurance/) and [commercial real estate](/real-estate/commercial/) practices, or meet our [attorneys](/our-attorneys/).