Except for the difficulty of moving in the ice and snow, a real estate closing this time of year can feel like a magical gift. This was especially true for Walter when the title problem for the land he had put under contract just before Easter was resolved, and he closed a few days before Christmas. [This all happened in 1998.]

Walter was a Vietnam War veteran who had finally received disputed benefits more than 20 years late, and he wanted to use the money to purchase land and build his home. He found a tiny parcel at a low price, but the closing was delayed when Walter’s attorney discovered that, somewhere in the chain of conveyances for the land an heir had filed a copy of the Will rather than of the Probate Judgement in the local land records. While the Will did name the heir, it was logically possible that the Will might have been disputed and overturned. Therefore, only the Final Report and Account of the Court could establish the legitimacy of the previous owner’s deed.