Danilson Law, PLC

Danilson Law, PLC 5⭐️ Iowa real estate law firm with a client-focused approach. Using tech to enhance your experience.

Danilson Law, PLC operates as a general law practice, including but not limited to the areas of: real estate transactions, wills, contracts, and business entities.

A buyer told us this week he didn't want a title opinion. He figured he'd save the money and just close.Here's the probl...
09/03/2026

A buyer told us this week he didn't want a title opinion. He figured he'd save the money and just close.

Here's the problem with that. In Iowa, the abstract is the property's entire recorded history — every deed, mortgage, lien, and judgment ever filed against it. On its own, it's just a thick stack of paper. It only protects you when a licensed Iowa attorney examines it and writes a title opinion telling you whether the seller can actually hand you clean title.

Skip that step and nobody's checking for the old mortgage that got paid off but was never released, the judgment sitting against a prior owner, or the easement running straight through the backyard. You don't find those the week you move in. You find them years later, when you go to sell — and now it's your problem to untangle.

You don't need to become a title expert to protect yourself. You just need to ask two questions before you close: Is the abstract being brought current? And is an attorney examining it and issuing a title opinion? If you're not sure, get it in front of someone who reads these for a living before you sign anything.

That's the whole job on our end — catch the problems while they're still fixable, so the biggest purchase of your life doesn't come with someone else's baggage attached.

If you'd rather have someone calm and detail-oriented watching the title for you, grab a time with me here:

https://na2.hubs.ly/H06xkXk0

09/02/2026

Thinking of adding a family member to the deed of your Iowa home? This seemingly simple task could lead to complex legal issues if not done correctly. In this informative video, real estate attorney Jeremy Danilson breaks down the crucial aspects of adding someone to your property deed and why it’s often misunderstood.

Key topics discussed include:

- **What Adding Someone to Your Deed Means**: Discover the legal implications of signing a quitclaim deed and how it permanently transfers ownership.
- **The Three Major Traps**: Learn about the risks, including ownership complexities, financial liabilities from co-owners, and tax implications that could create headaches down the road.
- **Guidance for Parents**: Understand the pitfalls of adding children to your deed as a way to transfer property and why proper estate planning is essential.

Key takeaways from this video include:

- The ease of adding someone to your deed can quickly turn into a long-term legal headache.
- Ownership is not easily reversed; removing someone from the deed requires their consent.
- Tax consequences could penalize your loved ones instead of helping them, particularly regarding capital gains tax.

Before making any decisions about your property deed, watch this video to equip yourself with the knowledge you need to protect your home and your family's future. For personalized guidance on your situation, consider booking a free consultation with Jeremy Danilson. Don't let a simple deed signing turn into a complex legal battle.

The survey comes back and the city says the property has to be fully platted before your deal can move. Now who's making...
09/01/2026

The survey comes back and the city says the property has to be fully platted before your deal can move. Now who's making the calls?

If you've been in this business long enough, you know this moment. The deal was cruising. Then one requirement drops and suddenly there's an appraiser, a surveyor, a city office, and a nervous seller — and no one person who owns getting them all on the same page. That's usually where deals go to stall: not because the problem is unsolvable, but because everyone assumes someone else is handling it.

Meanwhile, you're the one fielding the "is this still closing?" calls. Three weeks of email chains later, your buyer is shaky and your seller is shopping for someone to blame.

A few things that keep these deals alive:

- Get one person named as the quarterback the same day the requirement surfaces — not after the first week of silence.
- Ask for a simple sequence in writing: who's engaged, what they're waiting on, and what happens next.
- Push for same-day contact with the surveyor and appraiser. The gap between "we should call them" and "we called them" is where timelines die.
This week that exact situation hit one of our files — survey back, city requiring a full plat. By that same morning, my team had already talked to the appraiser, the surveyor, and the city contact. Not because it was an emergency. Because that's just how files should be run.

If you want a closing team that quarterbacks these surprises so you can stay focused on listing and selling, let's talk:

https://na2.hubs.ly/H06tSDC0

08/31/2026

Are you aware of the potential pitfalls in real estate contracts? In this video, we uncover a critical aspect of contract agreements that could leave you vulnerable.

Key points discussed include:

- **Understanding Assignment Clauses**: Learn how these clauses can allow the original party to transfer their obligations to another investor, whom you may never meet.
- **The Implications of Flipping Contracts**: Discover how this practice can affect your closing process and who you are truly dealing with in a transaction.
- **Your Legal Rights and Protections**: Gain insights into how to protect yourself when entering into contracts that may include assignment clauses.

By the end of this video, you'll understand the importance of scrutinizing contracts and the potential risks involved in real estate transactions. Equip yourself with the knowledge to navigate these complexities and ensure your investment is secure. Join us for a deep dive into protecting your interests in real estate deals.

08/30/2026

Are you buying a home in Iowa? Discover the unique title process that sets Iowa apart from other states and learn how to protect your investment.

In this video, Jeremy Danilson, an experienced Iowa real estate attorney, outlines the critical steps for home buyers to ensure a safe and secure transaction. Many buyers assume that a title company will handle everything, but in Iowa, the process is different. Here’s what you need to know:

1. **The Importance of an Abstract Review**: Understand why having an Iowa attorney examine your abstract and issue a title opinion before closing is essential. This step ensures that any liens or easements are identified before you take ownership.

2. **Marketable Title Assurance**: Learn how an attorney’s title opinion, combined with an Iowa title guarantee, provides you with marketable title protection. This means you have legal backing for your ownership rather than relying solely on a policy that may overlook hidden issues.

3. **Safe Closing Process**: Discover how closing through an attorney-led process with identity-verified insured closing lock wires protects your funds and deed, ensuring a smooth transition into your new home.

Many out-of-state buyers are surprised by these differences and the level of protection available. By working with a knowledgeable attorney from the beginning, you can avoid unexpected surprises after closing.

Key takeaways from this video include:
- The unique aspects of Iowa's title process.
- How to ensure you are fully informed about your property’s history.
- The importance of having a real estate attorney on your side.

If you want to safeguard your investment and navigate the home buying process in Iowa seamlessly, book a quick call with my team today.

Wiring money for your closing this year? One convincing email is all it takes for a scammer to walk off with your down p...
08/29/2026

Wiring money for your closing this year? One convincing email is all it takes for a scammer to walk off with your down payment — and once that money's gone, it's gone.

Real estate closings are a favorite target for wire fraud because the dollar amounts are big and the timeline moves fast. Here's what it usually looks like: a day or two before closing, you get an email that looks exactly like it's from your attorney's office or title company, with "updated" wire instructions and a nudge to move quickly.

The mistake that costs people the most is trusting any wire instructions that show up by email — even ones with the right letterhead, the right closing date, the right everything.

A few things worth doing no matter who's handling your closing:
Call the office directly, using a number you already have on file, before you wire anything.

Ask up front how your closing team actually delivers wire instructions, and don't accept a change to that method by email.

Treat "urgent, act now" language as a red flag, not a reason to hurry.
At Danilson Law, we only send wire instructions through ClosingLock, or secure email for clients who aren't set up for it — never a plain email you could mistake for something else. No gray area about which instructions are real.

If you want a closing team that protects your money as carefully as it handles the paperwork, you can grab time with me here:

https://na2.hubs.ly/H06pKG10

Selling your Iowa property on contract sounds simple. The buyer pays you monthly, you hold the deed until they're done. ...
08/29/2026

Selling your Iowa property on contract sounds simple. The buyer pays you monthly, you hold the deed until they're done. Then month six rolls around and you realize nobody ever showed you how the numbers actually work.
We're helping a seller in exactly that spot right now. He had a document service draft his installment contract. The document itself was fine. But he got no amortization schedule, no explanation of how interest applies to each payment, and nothing about what happens if the buyer stops paying. Seven months and six payments in, he couldn't tell you his actual balance.

Here's the thing about seller financing: you're the bank now. And a bank always knows three things — how each payment splits between interest and principal, the exact payoff at any given month, and what the default process requires. In Iowa, that last one is a specific legal process called forfeiture, with strict notice rules. Guess wrong on any of these and a friendly deal turns into a dispute.

If you're selling on contract (or already did), get the contract in front of an attorney who works with these every week and ask: Can you build me an amortization schedule? How does interest apply to each payment? And what exactly does Iowa's forfeiture process require from me if the buyer defaults?
That's what we did for this seller — two clear schedules and a plain-English walkthrough of how his contract actually works.

If you'd rather have someone detail-oriented make sure your contract is working the way you think it is, grab a time with me here:

https://na2.hubs.ly/H06vwF00

When you buy or sell in Iowa, there's one document your whole closing can hinge on — and most people have no idea where ...
08/28/2026

When you buy or sell in Iowa, there's one document your whole closing can hinge on — and most people have no idea where it actually is.

In a lot of Iowa transactions, the deal still runs on a physical abstract of title: a single, running paper history of your property that gets updated and handed off as things move along. It's not a file you can just re-download. It's an actual document that lives somewhere.

Here's what that looks like in real life. The abstract leaves the abstractor, goes to an attorney, maybe sits in storage for a while, gets sent to one company, then another — and by the time someone needs it, tracking down who's holding it can take real effort. If it goes missing entirely, that's not a quick fix. Recreating a lost abstract costs money and time you usually don't have the week you're trying to close.

A few things worth doing, even if you never hire us:

- Early on, ask who is holding your abstract right now and when it was last updated.
- If you're selling, don't assume it's "somewhere safe" — ask your attorney to confirm they can actually put hands on it well before closing, not the day of.
- You don't need to read or interpret it yourself. You just want it located and in the hands of the people who work with these every day, before it turns into a scramble.

On our files, we track the abstract down early and get it off the critical path — so a piece of paper that's been passed around for years doesn't become the reason your closing slips.

If you'd rather have someone watching these details so your closing doesn't stall over a document nobody can find, grab a time with me here:

https://na2.hubs.ly/H06p8LG0

08/26/2026

The offer is accepted. That is not the same as closed.

Hidden problems still show up after that: an old lien, a missing signature, an estate that never got cleaned up. Find one of those two days before closing and there is no time left to fix it without moving the date.

A cash closing still has real gates. Abstract continued, title examined, seller objections cured, any remaining mortgage paid off and released, deed ready, funds in.

If you'd rather have someone watching those so you close with peace of mind, book a discovery call:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H079Qb00

Closing this fall? Back-to-school is when title work gets shoved.Calendars get messy in August. Yours, your agent's, and...
08/26/2026

Closing this fall? Back-to-school is when title work gets shoved.

Calendars get messy in August. Yours, your agent's, and the closing date you already circled. Title work is not that circled date. It is going back through 40 years of records on the property, looking for old liens, missing signatures, or an estate that never got cleaned up. Find one of those two days before closing and there is no time left to fix it without moving the date.

A few questions for whoever is handling the file:
When does the title work actually start, not just when is closing?
Has counsel been engaged so the abstract can be continued and examined with time to spare?
If something has to be cured, is there room before the date you already promised?

We start title opinions early on purpose, especially heading into a busy season, so nothing on your end is left to the last week.

If you'd rather have someone already thinking two steps ahead, book a discovery call:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H079LjP0

Address

6165 NW 86th Street
Johnston, IA
50131

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+15155125500

Website

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