Residential Real Estate Closings: What You Need To Know From Pre-Contract To Closing Part 1

Mindy H. Stern is a partner of Schoeman Updike Kaufman & Stern LLP, a boutique New York City law firm where she concentrates in real estate, estate planning and estate administration. Ms. Stern is Second Vice Chair of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and is a member of that Section’s Executive Committee. She also Chairs the Committee’s Task Force creating a scholarship fund in memory of the Association’s deceased former President, Lorraine Power Tharp, and is a member of the Executive Committee’s Task Force regarding attorney escrow accounts and a member (and former Co-Chair) of the Section’s committee on Not For Profit Entities and Concerns. Ms. Stern currently serves as a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s delegation to the House of Delegates of the New York State Bar Association, and she is a past Chair of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s Committee on Real Property Law, as well as a former Secretary of the Association’s Committee on Cooperatives and Condominiums. Ms. Stern was an Adjunct Professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law from 2007 through 2014, where she taught a Real Estate Contract Drafting course. She has lectured for the New York State Bar Association, Practicing Law Institute, the Real Estate Institute of New York University, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and authored numerous articles on a variety of real estate related topics. She is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, has been voted by her peers to be a New York Super Lawyer since 2008, and was named one of Real Estate Weekly’s 100 Women Real Estate Leaders for the 21st Century.

Alvin Schein is a partner in the law firm of Seiden & Schein, P.C., whose practice is limited to real estate law. He has been practicing real estate law in New York City for thirty-five years. Mr. Schein represents clients in connection with all aspects of the purchase, sale and development of both affordable housing and market rate housing, including real estate tax exemption programs, the development of condominiums and cooperatives and the development of inclusionary housing. Mr. Schein is one of the few attorneys in New York whose practice includes contract for the purchase and sale of inclusionary air rights and of 421-a Negotiable Certificates. He has previously lectured on various real estate law topics for the New York State Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the New York State Association for Affordable Housing. He has also been quoted in The New York Times on a variety of real estate law related topics. He currently serves as the Co-Chair for the Attorney General No-Action Letter Subcommittee of the Cooperative and Condominium Committee of the Real Property Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and previously served on the Condominium Act Revision Subcommittee of the New York State Bar Association.

David L. Berkey is a managing partner of Gallet Dreyer & Berkey, LLP, where he engages in the practice of real estate law and litigation with special emphasis on issues affecting cooperative corporations and condominium associations. The firm represents more than 200 cooperative and condominium boards of directors and managers. Mr. Berkey is currently the Chairperson of the New York State Bar Association’s Real Property Law Section. He served as the Co-Chairman of New York State Bar Association Real Property Law Section’s Committee on Condominiums and Cooperatives from 2000 – 2007, as Secretary of the Section from 2011-2012, and as First and Second Vice-Chair of the Real Property Law Section from 2012-2014. Mr. Berkey is a cum laude graduate of New York University (1972) and Cornell Law School (1975). He is a co-author of the Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., Professional Practice Series, Real Estate, Vol. 5, Cooperatives and Condominiums, an instructor at Cardozo Law School's Intensive Trial Advocacy Program and he has lectured at Fordham Law School's continuing legal education series on cooperative and condominium litigation. Mr. Berkey has been a featured panelist at Habitat Magazine and a speaker at seminars sponsored by the City Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, New York County Lawyers Association, Practicing Law Institute, Council of New York Cooperatives & Condominiums, Inc. and the Community Associations Institute, among others, concerning cooperative and condominium issues.

Kristin V. Bellouny is Vice President and Senior Underwriting Counsel of Title Associates, a division of Stewart Title Insurance Company, underwriting New York commercial and residential transactions. Ms. Bellouny is a member of the New York Bar admitted in March 1981. She has more than 30 years of experience in the title industry. Immediately prior to joining Title Associates, Ms. Bellouny was Senior Vice President and Senior Underwriting Counsel of Fidelity National Title Insurance Company handling national commercial multi-site and multi-state transactions and underwriting New York commercial transactions. From 1997 to 2000 Ms. Bellouny was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of TitleServ NY where she was involved in major New York City commercial closings. From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Bellouny was Vice President and New York State Counsel at Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York where she handled major New York real estate title and commercial closings, as well as multi-site national deals. From 1992 to 1995, Ms Bellouny was Counsel with First American Title Insurance Company of New York handling New York commercial transactions. From 1982 to 1992 she was an underwriter and counsel with LTIC Assoc., Inc. Ms Bellouny has lectured for the New York State Bar Association, New York State Land Title Association, The Association of the Bar of the City of New York and too many law firms on topics relating to title insurance, condominiums, distressed real estate and securitized transactions. She is also the author of an article entitled "When Does A Deed Become a Mortgage?" which appeared in the New York Law Journal in August 1995. Ms. Bellouny has served on the Legislative and Law Committees of the New York State Land Title Association. Ms. Bellouny chaired the Law and Forms Committee of the Title Insurance Rate Service Association, Inc. Ms. Bellouny received her B.A. Degree from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in June of 1980.