Practical checklists for the things clients ask us about most. Bringing the right documents to a first meeting saves you time and saves you money, because we spend the meeting on your matter rather than on gathering paperwork.
Before a residential closing
Have these ready as early as you can. Items marked as applicable only matter in some transactions.
- The signed offer and, once executed, the purchase and sale agreement
- Your lender’s contact details and loan officer name
- Government-issued photo identification for every person who will be on title
- The home inspection report and any pest or radon reports
- The most recent survey or plot plan, if you have one
- Condominium documents, including the master deed, bylaws, budget, and the 6(d) certificate, if applicable
- Existing deed and mortgage payoff information, if you are selling
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detector certificate arrangements, if you are selling
- Details of how you intend to take title, for example jointly, as tenants in common, or through a trust or limited liability company
One thing worth deciding early: how you take title has consequences for estate planning, creditor exposure, and taxes that are far easier to address before the closing than after. Raise it with us at the first meeting rather than at the table.
Before a first estate planning meeting
You do not need exact figures. Approximate values are enough for a first conversation.
- A list of your assets with rough values: real estate, bank and investment accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance, business interests
- How each asset is titled and who the named beneficiaries are, which frequently matters more than what a will says
- Any existing will, trust, power of attorney, or health care proxy
- Names and contact details for the people you would want as personal representative, trustee, health care agent, and guardian for any minor children
- Notes on anything unusual: a blended family, a beneficiary with special needs, property in another state, a family business, or a relative you intend to leave out
- Any prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, or divorce judgment, that affects your property
Before starting a permitting or development project
- The property address, assessor’s map and lot number, and the current deed
- Your existing survey, site plan, or conceptual drawings, in whatever state they are in
- The names of your engineer, architect, surveyor, and any other consultants already engaged
- Your intended use and approximate square footage, unit count, or seat count
- Any prior approvals, conditions, or variances attached to the parcel, which often carry forward
- Known site constraints: wetlands, easements, a septic system, historic designation, or Title 5 issues
- Your target timeline and any hard financing or lease deadlines driving it
A rough sense of sequence
Every project differs, but most local permitting follows a recognisable arc. Knowing where you are in it helps set expectations.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Due diligence | Title, zoning, and environmental review to confirm the project is possible on this parcel before you spend heavily on design. |
| Pre-application | Informal conversations with town staff and consultants to surface objections while they are still cheap to fix. |
| Filing | Applications assembled and filed with the relevant boards, with the supporting studies each one expects. |
| Public hearings | Presentation, abutter comment, and negotiation of conditions. Often several sessions rather than one. |
| Decision and appeal period | The board votes and files its decision. A statutory appeal period runs before the permit is secure. |
| Construction and compliance | Building permits, ongoing compliance with the conditions imposed, and eventual occupancy sign-off. |
Useful public resources
These are independent public bodies, not affiliated with this firm. We list them because clients ask where to look things up.
- Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, for recorded deeds, mortgages, plans, and liens on any parcel in the county.
- Massachusetts Land Court, for registered land and title disputes.
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, for wetlands, waterways, and contaminated site information.
- Your town clerk and assessor’s office, for zoning bylaws, assessor’s maps, and recorded board decisions.
- Massachusetts Trial Court Probate and Family Court, for probate filings and forms.
Not sure what applies to you?
Bring what you have. Part of our job is working out what is actually needed, and an incomplete file is a normal starting point rather than a problem.