Can a real estate lawyer handle your Ames closing remotely?
Yes. Our office is in Johnston, about 40 miles south of Ames, so we serve Ames clients remotely by phone or video, and you sign through remote online notarization or at a scheduled signing. We represent Ames sellers and buyers paying cash or on an installment contract: purchase agreement review, deeds, title opinions, and the closing, recorded with Story County. We don't close mortgage-lender loans, and we only practice Iowa real estate. Start with a free 15-minute call with attorney Jeremy Danilson; the flat fee comes before the work.
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Danilson Law, PLC
We work with Ames clients by phone and video. We do not have an Ames office; our only office is in Johnston.
What do we handle for Ames sellers, landlords, and cash buyers?
We handle the legal side of residential sales and cash or contract purchases in Ames. That covers seller representation, purchase agreement review, closings without a lender, quit claim deeds, adding a family member to a deed, and title opinions. Direct-sale sellers are welcome, and we'll walk you through what the city's rental code means for your sale.
- {IC_CK} Seller transaction support
- {IC_CK} Purchase agreement support
- {IC_CK} How to add someone to a deed in Iowa
- {IC_CK} Iowa title opinion vs. title search
Which offices record and value an Ames property?
Ames is in Story County, whose offices sit in Nevada. Your deed or contract records with the Story County Recorder, and the Declaration of Value is filed with the recorder along with the deed or contract. Taxes are paid to the Story County Treasurer. We confirm the parcel from the legal description.
Story
Recorder: Story County Recorder, 900 Sixth St., Nevada
Assessor: Ames City Assessor, Ames City Hall, 515 Clark Ave., Ames (property values inside Ames city limits)
Treasurer: Story County Treasurer, 900 Sixth St., Nevada
What gets filed with an Ames deed?
Most Iowa deeds and real estate contracts need a Declaration of Value, and you pay the state transfer tax to the county recorder when you record. Many tax-free transfers, like gifts between spouses or from parent to child, don't need a Declaration of Value. Some do, though, including real estate contracts. See the Iowa Legislature's transfer tax chapter.
When a transfer needs a Declaration of Value, the seller must also file a groundwater hazard statement. If the property has no wells, septic system, burial site, underground tank or waste site, the seller can instead put a "no known conditions" sentence on the first page of the deed. Without it, the recorder will refuse to record the document.
For an acreage outside town on a private system, the septic rule applies too. If a home with 1 to 4 units uses a private septic system, a DNR-certified inspector must inspect it before the deed or contract can be recorded, and that includes when you sign a seller-financed contract. See the Iowa DNR time-of-transfer page.
What do Ames rental rules mean when you sell?
Ames has detailed rental rules, and they follow the property through a sale. Nobody can rent, or offer to rent, an Ames dwelling unless it's registered with the city's Inspection Division and has a valid Letter of Compliance, or one pending inspection approval (Ames City Code Chapter 13). A Letter of Compliance runs one to four years and can't be renewed without a new inspection.
Does the rental registration pass to the buyer?
No. Ames rental registration doesn't carry over automatically when you sell. The seller tells the city's Inspection Division who the buyer is, and the buyer registers the property in their own name. If the city has issued a compliance order or violation notice, the city code bars the sale until it's fixed, unless the seller first gives the buyer a copy and files the buyer's signed, notarized acceptance of the repairs with the Building Official. We build both into your closing checklist.
The city also offers a pre-sale rental inspection, which gives a buyer or seller the list of items that would need fixing before a Letter of Compliance can be issued (Ames Inspections, Property Owners and Managers). The annual registration fee is billed to whoever owned the property for more than six months of the billing year, so we address it in the purchase agreement.
How many people can live in an Ames rental?
For Ames houses and duplexes, the limit is three adults for one to three bedrooms. With four or more bedrooms, it's one adult per bedroom, up to five, as long as parking and other code standards are met (City of Ames, Rental Occupancy Standards). Apartments follow a different rule. In the Near Campus Neighborhoods, including Colonial Village, Edwards, Oak-Riverside, Oak-Wood-Forest, SCAN, Westside, and CCOAMS, the bedroom count is locked to city records as of January 1, 2018, and adding bedrooms doesn't raise it. Buying near Iowa State? The city's occupancy number matters more than the listing's bedroom count.
What if you sell an Ames home on contract?
In Iowa, the seller must record a contract for the sale of a home with the county recorder within 90 days of signing, or within 30 days for sellers who have signed four or more home contracts in the past year. Late recording can bring a fine of up to $100 a day, and the seller can't start a forfeiture until the contract is recorded. See the Iowa Legislature's installment contract recording rules. In Ames there's a second reason to record. The rental code counts possession under a contract for the sale of land as letting a home, and the city's FAQ says a tenant who is buying needs a contract recorded with the Story County Recorder before the home is treated as owner-occupied.
How far is Ames from our office, and how does remote service work?
Ames is roughly 40 miles from our Johnston office, about 41 minutes by car. That's why we serve Ames remotely. Calls happen by phone or video, documents come to you electronically, and you sign through remote online notarization or at a scheduled signing. We do not have an Ames office.
Ames sits along Highway 30 and Interstate 35 and is home to Iowa State University. The city's historic Main Street district grew up east of the campus, and the Near Campus Neighborhoods sit close to the university.
Ames real estate FAQs
Not necessarily. Ames treats a home as owner-occupied when the owner or the owner's parent, child, brother, or sister lives there, and it may include one roomer. If more than one roomer lives there, the city treats it as a rental, and it needs registration and a Letter of Compliance.
No. Ames rental registration doesn't carry over automatically when you sell. The seller tells the city's Inspection Division who the buyer is, and the buyer registers the property in their own name. If there's an open compliance order, the buyer's notarized acceptance has to be filed first.
Not in the Near Campus Neighborhoods. There, occupancy is based on the bedroom count in city records on January 1, 2018, and you can't raise it by adding bedrooms. Ask the Inspection Division to confirm the number before you sign.
No. Ames clients can do everything remotely: phone or video calls, electronic documents, and remote online notarization. If you'd rather sign in person, we'll schedule a signing.
Three steps from hello to closing.
A discovery call is a free 15-minute call with attorney Jeremy Danilson. Here's what happens after you reach out.
Book your call
Pick a convenient time using the form above, or call 515-512-5500 any time, day or night. Claire, our AI assistant, answers every unscheduled call — she can answer common questions and book your discovery call on the spot, so you never hit voicemail. Attorney calls are always scheduled in advance, so when we talk, your file has our full attention.
We learn your situation
Tell attorney Jeremy Danilson about your transaction, whether you're buying, selling, investing, or something in between. We'll ask a few questions and answer yours, in plain English.
We quote your flat fee up front
If we're a good fit, we'll give you a single flat fee before any work begins. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices, no commitment until you're ready.
Ready to talk about your Ames closing?
Book a free 15-minute call with Jeremy Danilson by phone or video. You'll get a clear plan for your Ames sale or purchase and a flat fee before work starts. Claire, our AI assistant, answers calls day or night and can schedule it.
Prefer to write first? Use the form above. New inquiries get a reply within one business day.