Mississippi real estate, explained.

While we can accommodate urgent requests when possible, we generally recommend allowing at least 30 days from contract to closing for residential transactions, and longer for commercial properties, although that depends on the complexity of the transaction and due diligence required.

Buyers: a government-issued photo ID and your funds per the closing instructions (verified wire or cashier's check). Sellers: photo ID, house keys, garage openers and codes, and a forwarding address. For seller-entities, you'll need your EIN. We'll confirm your exact list before closing day — it varies a little by transaction.

Most residential closings take under 30 minutes at the table. Buyers with a loan sign more paperwork, so their appointments run longer than sellers'. We walk through the settlement statement line by line and explain documents as you sign — questions are welcome and don't cost extra time worth worrying about.

Usually the same day you close. Once documents are signed, funds are disbursed, and the deed is recorded with the Chancery Clerk, keys change hands — your contract controls the exact timing. If possession is delayed for any reason, you'll know before closing day, not after.

Most closings take place at our Madison office, which provides a comfortable, professional environment. If special circumstances make that difficult — distance, health, an out-of-state party — we're happy to discuss alternative arrangements.

Title insurance protects your ownership of the property against problems from its past — a forged deed, a missed heir, a lien that never got released, a recording error. A title search finds the problems visible in the record; title insurance covers you if something surfaces later that the record didn't show. We write policies as agents for five national underwriters.

A lender's policy protects the bank's interest in the property as collateral for its loan, and lenders require it on almost all financed deals. An owner's policy protects you — your down payment and your equity. The lender's policy does nothing for you personally, which is why we recommend an owner's policy on nearly every purchase.

Yes. You pay a one-time premium at closing — no monthly or annual payments — and an owner's policy protects you for as long as you or your heirs own the property. It's one of the few pieces of a closing you buy once and keep.

We recommend it. We also recommend obtaining a survey. Land often carries the issues houses don't: unclear boundaries, access questions, and estates that were never probated. An owner's policy on land costs a one-time premium and covers defects in the title's past, the same as it would on a home.

Your contract decides — most closing costs are negotiable between the parties. In many Mississippi deals the parties negotiate or split the owner's title insurance premium, and the buyer pays for the lender's policy when there's a mortgage. If you're still negotiating, we're glad to explain what each line item is before you sign.

It depends on the price, the loan, and the property type — but you don't have to wait to find out. Our closing-cost calculator on the Resources page estimates your title insurance premium and settlement charges on the spot, itemized for buyer and seller. It's an estimate, not a quote, but it puts you in the right neighborhood.

No. Mississippi has no state transfer or deed tax on an ordinary sale. You will see county recording fees when the deed and deed of trust are filed with the Chancery Clerk, plus standard title and settlement charges — but no percentage-of-price tax like some states charge.

A title search traces the property's ownership history through the county land records, looking for anything that clouds the title: mortgages and other liens, easements, judgments, unpaid taxes, gaps in the chain of ownership, and estates that were never settled. The result tells us what has to be cleared before you close — so problems get fixed before the closing table, not discovered after.

Mount Leopard Abstract Company, LLC is our title search and abstracting company. It examines mineral, oil-and-gas, and surface titles in the county records for projects across Mississippi. Attorneys, title companies, and landowners can also order a search from Mount Leopard directly.

The patent is the original grant of land from the United States government — the very first link in the chain of title. A back-to-patent search traces ownership from today all the way to that first grant, often more than a century of records. It's the deepest search there is, and it's somewhat standard for mineral work and high-liability projects.

Yes — in Mississippi, mineral rights can be severed from the surface and sold or reserved separately, sometimes generations ago. Who owns the minerals is often a different answer from who owns the surface, and the surface deed alone won't tell you. A mineral title examination through Mount Leopard answers "who owns what, all the way down."

The same way you'd order a closing — through the order form on this site, or by calling us. Tell us the property, the county, the scope you need (full, current-owner, or update), and your deadline. Standard searches are limited to our closing area; high-liability, mineral, and back-to-patent work is available statewide.

Criminals impersonate closing offices and email fake "updated" wire instructions, often days before closing. Our wire instructions will not change during your transaction — so treat any change as fraud until you confirm it with us by phone. Call us at the number on this site, not one from an email, and verify before you send anything.

Yes — and once you have them, they will not change during your transaction. That's the safeguard: if anyone emails you "corrected" or "updated" instructions, assume fraud and stop. Verify by phone, using the number on this site rather than one from an email, before any money moves.

It's best to contact us as early as possible in any real estate transaction. For buyers, this means once you have a property under contract. For sellers, you can even reach out before listing your property to address any potential title issues in advance.

Having basic information about the property (address, legal description if available), the parties involved, and your timeframe will help us assist you more efficiently. For closing services, any existing contract or loan commitment information is also helpful.

No. Submitting the form is a request — it doesn't open a file or create an attorney-client relationship. We review requests during business hours (Mon–Fri, 9:00–4:30) and reply, usually within one business day, to confirm whether we can take the matter. Until we've confirmed in writing, please don't treat your matter as handled, and hold sensitive details.

Yes. A for-sale-by-owner deal skips the agent, not the paperwork. We can help prepare the contract and deed, search the title, hold and disburse the money through escrow, and close at our office — the same careful process as any other closing, for both sides of the deal.

Yes. A refinance means a new loan and a new lender's title policy, but it shouldn't feel like buying the house again. We update the title search, handle the payoff of your existing loan, and get you signed quickly.

Yes. We can close every stage of a build: the lot purchase, the construction loan, and the sale of the finished home to your buyer. Because we've handled the title from the start, the final closing begins with a file we already know, which helps keep your buyer's closing on schedule.

Because things can change after you buy. Judgments, tax liens, a home-equity line, or a second mortgage can attach to the property after your purchase closed. Your new lender's policy insures the title as it stands on the day you refinance, so the record has to be checked again as of now, not as of your purchase.

No. The owner's policy from your purchase stays in force for as long as you own the home. A refinance only requires a new lender's policy, which protects the new lender, so that's the only title premium on a refinance.