Paperwork for Selling a HouseWithout a Realtor in New York

The TP-584 is the New York State Combined Real Estate Transfer Tax Return. It must be filed at closing for every residential property transfer in NY. The seller is responsible for paying the transfer tax (0.4% of sale price) and this form documents it. Your closing attorney prepares and files the TP-584 with the Erie County Clerk at closing. The deed cannot be recorded without it.

The RP-5217 is the Real Property Transfer Report required by the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services. It collects information about the sale including price, property characteristics, and financing terms. The completed form is filed with the county clerk at closing alongside the deed. It feeds the statewide property assessment database used for comparable sales analysis by assessors across Erie County.

The Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS) is a standardized NY form where the seller discloses known defects and material facts about the property — roof, foundation, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, environmental hazards, and any known flooding history. Sellers are required to provide a completed PCDS to buyers before or at the time of signing a purchase contract. Failure to provide it results in a mandatory $500 credit to the buyer at closing.

The standard deed is the Bargain and Sale Deed with Covenants Against Grantor’s Acts. It conveys title while warranting that the seller has not encumbered the property themselves. Your closing attorney drafts the deed using the legal description from the existing title chain — particularly important for WNY’s pre-1970 housing stock, where postwar ranches in Cheektowaga, pre-war two-families on Buffalo’s East Side, and aluminum-sided capes throughout West Seneca and Tonawanda sometimes carry description irregularities from decades of prior transfers. For estate sales, an Executor’s Deed or Administrator’s Deed may be used instead.

Beyond the deed, TP-584, and RP-5217: (1) Closing disclosure or settlement statement itemizing all debits and credits. (2) Mortgage payoff confirmation if the seller has an outstanding mortgage. (3) Lien releases for any liens paid at closing. (4) Any seller-side affidavits required by the title company regarding the property’s status.

A survey is not legally required to close a residential sale in NY, but a buyer’s lender often requires one for a financed purchase. In a cash sale to NCB, a survey is not required. If an existing survey is on file, the title company may accept it with a survey affidavit confirming no changes to the property lines.

Your closing attorney handles the deed, TP-584, and RP-5217. The Property Condition Disclosure Statement is completed by you, the seller. In a direct cash sale to NCB, we work with our Erie County title company and your attorney to ensure all NY documents are properly prepared — without requiring you to navigate the paperwork independently.