What can an Urbandale real estate lawyer do for your sale or deed?
Selling an Urbandale home, buying one for cash, or setting up a contract sale? Danilson Law works from Johnston, just up 86th Street, and handles the legal side: purchase agreement review, seller transactions, closings for cash and installment-contract buyers, quit claim deeds, adding a name to a deed, and title opinions. Urbandale straddles Polk and Dallas counties, and we sort out which one your parcel is in before anything is signed. We do not handle closings with a mortgage lender. Book a free 15-minute discovery call with attorney Jeremy Danilson and get a flat fee quote before work begins.
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Danilson Law, PLC
We meet Urbandale clients by phone, by video, or at our Johnston office, about 9 minutes north of Urbandale City Hall on 86th Street.
What do we handle for Urbandale buyers and sellers?
Three kinds of Urbandale work: selling a home, buying one without a lender, and changing who is on a deed. For sellers, including direct-sale sellers, we review or write the purchase agreement and carry the deal through closing. For buyers paying cash or buying on an installment contract, we run the closing. We also prepare quit claim deeds, add a spouse or family member to a deed, and give title opinions.
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Is your Urbandale deed recorded in Polk County or Dallas County?
That depends on which side of the county line the parcel is on. The City of Urbandale reports that 6.3 of its 22.37 square miles are in Dallas County, home to 11,776 of its 45,580 residents at the 2020 Census. The rest is Polk. Polk parcels record at 111 Court Ave. in downtown Des Moines; Dallas parcels record at 800 Court St. in Adel. The Declaration of Value is filed with that county's recorder along with the deed or contract, and that county's treasurer supplies the tax figures. We pull the legal description first.
Polk
Recorder: Polk County Recorder, 111 Court Ave., Suite 250, Des Moines
Assessor: Polk County Assessor, 111 Court Ave., Room 195, Des Moines
Treasurer: Polk County Treasurer, 111 Court Ave., Room 154, Des Moines
Dallas
Recorder: Dallas County Recorder, 800 Court St., Suite 130, Adel
Assessor: Dallas County Assessor, 800 Court St., Room 120, Adel
Treasurer: Dallas County Treasurer, 800 Court St., Suite 111, Adel
Why do Urbandale's six school districts matter at closing?
Parts of six public school districts lie inside Urbandale: Urbandale, Waukee, Johnston, West Des Moines, Dallas Center-Grimes, and Des Moines. Your tax rate depends on the taxing district your parcel sits in, and the school district is part of it. So we prorate taxes from the treasurer's figures for your parcel, not a citywide guess.
What gets filed with an Urbandale 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.
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.
Does Urbandale have its own rules when you sell?
For a rental, yes. Under Urbandale's Housing Code, no one may let a person other than the owner occupy a housing unit without a valid inspection certificate, and the city inspects each unit that isn't owner-occupied at least once every two years (Urbandale City Code 151.03). The certificate transfers to the next owner. Within 30 days after the sale, the seller who holds the certificate must give the Department of Community Development written notice with the buyer's name and address. We put that notice on the closing checklist.
Homes lived in by their owners aren't on the regular inspection schedule. The city inspects them after a complaint or if it sees signs of a code violation. For a single-family or duplex rental, the city's Housing Code page says certificates last two years, and the city takes housing questions at 515-278-3930.
What if you sell an Urbandale 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.
Urbandale's 30-day notice applies when you transfer ownership of, an interest in, or control of a certified rental, so we treat a contract sale as starting the clock (Urbandale City Code 151.03). We record the contract and send the city notice as part of the same job.
How far is our office from Urbandale, and do you have to come in?
Not far. Our office at 6165 NW 86th St. in Johnston is about 3 miles up 86th Street from Urbandale City Hall, about 9 minutes. You still don't have to come in. The discovery call happens by phone, and you can sign through remote online notarization or at a scheduled signing. We do not have an Urbandale office.
Urbandale, incorporated in 1917, sits where I-35, I-80 and Iowa Highway 141 meet, and is home to Living History Farms, the outdoor museum off I-35/80.
Urbandale real estate FAQs
Check your property tax statement or the legal description on your deed. Roughly a quarter of Urbandale's residents live on the Dallas County side, so don't assume. Polk deeds record in downtown Des Moines and Dallas deeds record in Adel. We confirm the county at the start.
Yes. Urbandale's code makes the inspection certificate transferable to the next owner. You still have one job: within 30 days after the sale, give the Department of Community Development written notice with the buyer's name and address. We add that to your closing checklist.
At least once every two years for any unit that isn't owner-occupied, and sooner for reasons like founded tenant complaints or storm damage. If your buyer plans to rent the home out, they should plan for that inspection.
It could be any of six: Urbandale, Waukee, Johnston, West Des Moines, Dallas Center-Grimes, or Des Moines. The district is part of what sets your property tax rate, so it shows up in the tax proration on your settlement statement. We use the treasurer's figures for your parcel.
No. Urbandale City Hall is only about 9 minutes from our office, but you can still sign through remote online notarization or at a scheduled signing. We'll set up whichever works for you on the discovery call.
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.
Have an Urbandale sale or deed on your desk?
Start with a free 15-minute call with Jeremy Danilson. We'll tell you which county handles your paperwork, whether Urbandale's rental rules apply, and the flat fee, all before work starts. Claire, our AI assistant, picks up day or night and can put the call on the calendar.
Prefer to write first? Use the form above. New inquiries get a reply within one business day.