Get Fingerprinted to Sell Your Home

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

17 Mar 2009 11:56 AM

If you live in Cook County, Illinois, you might feel like a criminal when you go to sell your home. That is because a law quietly passed that requires anyone notarizing documents for selling a home in that area to provide a thumbprint.

Lawmakers say that the legislation was put into affect to dissuade people from committing real estate fraud. Criminals may think twice about selling a home illegally if their thumbprint is on record, I suppose. The law, which was passed last October and goes into affect this June has residents of the county concerned about privacy issues. The thumbprint would theoretically stay on file for at least seven years, or forever as long as the paperwork to the real estate transaction is stored somewhere by someone, including the homeowners, the title company, the attorney, the recorder of deeds and possible the real estate agency.

Right now there is an easy way out of this little law. Simply have your documents notarized somewhere else. The law is tied to local notary offices not to where you actually sell your home. What do you think of this law? If you lived in Cook County, Illinois, would you feel comfortable giving your thumbprint when you sell your home? Is this a privacy concern or just no big deal? Should counties everywhere adopt this same law?

This story was featured today on the Glen Beck program. Mr. Beck pointed out that legally, immigrants coming into the country can't be fingerprinted because it would be seen as offensive.

Selling a home is a stressful experience without an added pressure about having your thumbprint on file. I wonder what the actual rate of real estate fraud in that small county actually is?

Have you ever given your fingerprints for any reason, and did it concern you? (And no, this is not my thumbprint.)

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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