Closing Attorney Screws Up, Leaves Homebuyer Holding Foreclosure Notice Over Unpaid Real Estate Taxes; Forks Over Cash After Media Intervenes

In Charlotte, North Carolina, WSOC-TV Channel 9 reports:

• A Charlotte homeowner was upset he got a tax bill after, he said, his closing attorney made a mistake. Antwan Morris said he got a great deal when he bought a starter home three months ago for $69,000.
• But weeks later, he said, he got a final tax foreclosure warning for $1,300 in delinquent property taxes the previous owner didn't pay. “It definitely scared me,” Morris said. Morris blamed the attorney who handled the closing for failing to deduct the taxes before giving the seller his settlement check. “The taxes didn't get paid, (and) the attorney is not owning up to his mistake,” Morris said.
• He said attorney Marcel McCrea of the Phillips McCrea Law Firm promised to pay the taxes but hadn’t and wasn’t returning his phone calls. Action 9 went looking for McCrea at an office he shares on Morehead Street, but a man there said he hadn’t been in that day. Action 9’s Don Griffin then called McCrea. He admitted he made a mistake and said he would pay the taxes.
• Morris now has a receipt showing the taxes were paid in full. “It’s a relief, a big relief,” he said. “A load off me.” Morris now tells home buyers to get recommendations from their Realtors when selecting a closing attorney.

Source: Man Gets Unexpected Bill After Attorney Makes Mistake.