LeavenLaw is a full-service law firm that can assist its clients with all of their real estate and title needs. More specifically, LeavenLaw offers not only litigation assistance associated with real estate, such as foreclosure defense or enforcing a party’s right to a contract to purchase or sell real estate, but can assist buyers with drafting and negotiating a contract to purchase real estate, sellers to successfully negotiate short sales, or any party to a real estate transaction with closing and offering owner and lender title insurance in accordance with Florida law.

Title Services

With local origins, LeavenLaw, through its underwriting subsidiary, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, and its affiliation with Attorneys’ Title Fund Services, LLC, maintains one of the fastest growing real estate departments in the Tampa Bay area, providing title insurance and other real estate-related products and services to its clients.

LeavenLaw employees are committed to providing our clients statewide with a level of satisfaction that is unparalleled in the title insurance industry. Our real estate attorneys and staff have experience to handle every aspect of the real estate practice from basic refinances and closing transaction to short sale negotiations and commercial transactions. Based on our experience and expertise, we are confident that you’ll appreciate the difference between dealing with a corporate title company and a professional law firm that can give you both real estate-related products and services and legal advice and protection, during your transaction.

From your first contact with a LeavenLaw representative to the closing of your transaction, our mission is to provide a fully responsive, problem solving environment that ultimately makes your deal successful.

Short Sales

If you’re like many homeowners across the State of Florida, you are likely underwater on your mortgage, meaning that you owe more than your home is currently worth. If you’re struggling to both make your mortgage payment and make ends meet, a short sale may be an option to consider.

A short sale is the sale of a home where the amount received is insufficient to pay the mortgage and other traditional closing costs associated with selling a piece of real estate; the sales process come up "short" and cannot pay all that is due. If the mortgage lender agrees to accept the proceeds of the short sale, this is clearly a good thing for a struggling homeowner. However, there may be tax or other consequences to the borrower. At LeavenLaw, a short sale attorney can guide you through the short sale process. A short sale can be beneficial to all parties involved -- you and your lender -- as well as help property values in your neighborhood recover more quickly. A short sale mitigates your loss by stopping the slide and ensuring that you recover for your lender the most that you possibly can. It also helps the lender in that the lender no longer has to pay for attorneys’ fees and costs to prosecute a foreclosure process. Finally, the lender will not need to hire an "REO company" to secure and maintain the property after likely taking back the title to the property in a foreclosure -- all of these results are beneficial.

The short sale process, however, can also be complicated if not overwhelming. That is why we are here to help. At LeavenLaw a short sale attorney will assist you with the entire transaction: placing you in touch with a realtor (if you do not have one), drafting the offer, negotiating the sale, closing the transaction, writing the title insurance, and directing payment of the proceeds to the bank in order to pay off your mortgage. In most cases, the attorneys at LeavenLaw will be able to negotiate the deal in such a way that there will be no further liability to you.

Strategic Default

At LeavenLaw, we represent consumers who are in default on their home loans -- or who are contemplating default -- and need advice regarding their options, including defending the foreclosure lawsuit, negotiating a short sale, negotiating a waiver of deficiency, buying time in the home to either get back on your feet or gain time to prepare for the next step in your family’s life, or, if need be, to discuss your bankruptcy alternatives. Here at LeavenLaw, we strive to assist our clients in protecting the things most important to them -- their home, their credit, their livelihood and their dignity.

Alternatives to Foreclosure

There are many alternatives to foreclosure that our attorneys can assist you with, including a short sale. At LeavenLaw, we realize that this can be a trying, if not scary time. Therefore, we do everything we can to make sure that all of the resources that you need to assist you with a short sale are here at our firm -- you will not need to go to several professionals an "piece together" a team to assist you. If you need a knowledgeable, trusted realtor who knows the market and the short sale process, we work closely with several who can make sure your needs are met. It is critical that no stones are left unturned and that all things are considered in advance to give you -- our client -- the best chance at success. Here at LeavenLaw, we have made sure that our process and our representation is thorough and complete. For more information from a short sale attorney at LeavenLaw including information about how to avoid foreclosure, please contact us today. We offer a free initial consultation for all of our mortgage foreclosure or short sale clients and will go over your all of your options with you so that you can make a fully informed decision. Call today. (855) 532-8365.

Our Team

Our team of real estate professionals work together to make each transaction a smooth success. Our team includes:

  • Ian R. Leavengood, Esq., oversees the day to day operations of the real estate department. Ian’s experience assisting thousands of consumers in residential mortgage foreclosure and bankruptcy matters has made him especially aware and capable of handling real estate transactions, especially those subject to distressed or defaulted debt or other liens or obligations.

Ian is a licensed title agent for Old Republic National Title Insurance Company and the Florida Attorneys’ Title Fund. Ian is also a State of Florida Certified Public Accountant and is a Circuit Civil Certified Mediator in the State of Florida. Ian’s combination of debtor-creditor litigation experience – both in state and federal courts – combined with his transactional, consulting and settlement-minded approach to issues and disputes makes him uniquely qualified to head up the firm real estate and title department. For his full biography, please click here.

  • Richard M. Dauval is both an attorney and a United States Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Panel Trustee who procures and oversees transactions involving short sale negotiations on properties subject to bankruptcy rules. Both from the perspective of the debtor and the bankruptcy estate. For his full biography, please click here.
  • Teiah K. Hester, Paralegal/Licensed Title Agent coordinates with the real estate staff all aspects of the real estate transactions from title work and initiating negotiations with lenders to the closing transaction and post-closing completion.
  • Dawn Bert, Real Estate Paralegal and closer assists with all closing file and title requests with significant experience with the new TRID / CFPB guidelines.

Since 1979, Teiah has worked in the real estate field. For the first 25 years of her real estate paralegal career, Teiah worked for a sole-practitioner real estate attorney and was trained in all aspects of real estate transactions. She worked extensively on commercial transactions. Upon the retirement of her primary employer, Teiah took a position with a West Central Florida title company where she became a licensed title agent and handled all aspects of real estate transactions. Her career, however, focused mainly on commercial transactions, being the sole commercial transaction specialist for the title company.

Prior to joining LeavenLaw, Teiah worked for the in-house counsel for a local development company, handling paralegal real estate duties including acquisitions and development projects for large commercial grocery store and drug company clients, title clearance, zoning verification, easement resolution and corporate filings. Teiah has extensive experience in all aspects of escrow, including short sales, residential sales, commercial and 1031 exchanges. Teiah maintains both her paralegal standing and her title agent license by continually updating her educational knowledge to keep up with current trends in the real estate market. Teiah has trained, and continues to train, younger title agents and closing coordinators across West Central Florida.

  • Attorneys’ Title Fund Services, LLC, preserves and facilitates the needs and promotes the success of attorneys’ real estate practices by providing valuable, relevant, and timely information, as well as innovative products and services that allow attorneys to conduct transactions electronically, easily, and efficiently. Moreover, the strong technology base and educational support create an environment that enhances the knowledge and sharpens the competitive edge of its attorney affiliates and their staff.
  • Old Republic Title Insurance Group is one of the largest title insurance groups in the United States. It operates through a national network of Company-owned offices, affiliates, authorized agents and approved attorneys, which allows service to customers in both large and small markets across the country. Their products and services protect the customers from financial loss and hardship related to unknown judgments and liens, forged transfers, inconsistencies within a property’s title or misapplication of fiduciary funds.

If you have questions about your real estate, title, or short sale options, please call us or contact us today. (855) 532-8365.