Q: We purchased a property and paid cash. We were told it could take as long as two to three months to receive a deed, and it’s been more than six months. We’ve contacted our attorney every month; she keeps saying she is looking into it, yet we’ve heard nothing. She has stopped responding to our calls and emails. We contacted our real estate agent, who said she would contact the attorney; no response. We have no mortgage, so we can’t go through a lender. We contacted the seller’s attorney, who said we have to go through our attorney. We contacted the town hall, and they said we have to go through our attorney or our mortgage company, but again our attorney is unresponsive and we have no mortgage. How can we get our deed?

A: First, let me dispel a real estate myth. You do not need your deed to the property whenever you decide to sell. To my knowledge, most or all recorders of deeds in this country have online records, and a quick search will produce the deed.

In fact, even before computers and the internet, if you were to visit the office of the local recorder of deeds, you would be able to find the deed to your property — although it was a lot harder in the old days.

So, you have two options. Contact your attorney’s office and make it clear that you have been ignored and if you do not get the deed within two weeks, you will file a complaint with the local bar association.

Alternatively, you can go online and find your deed.

Q: In the past, you’ve written that you are opposed to a 15-year mortgage. I am a 77-year-old widow with a $50,000 mortgage at 7.75 percent. I would like to refinance. Currently, a 15-year mortgage is right around 3 percent, whereas a 30-year loan is closer to 4 percent. Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to take the 15-year loan?

A: Regardless of what kind of loan you take, please refinance immediately. It is almost unconscionable that you have been paying such a high interest rate to your lender every month.

I know the interest rate on a 15-year loan is now considerably lower than the 30-year, but the payments are also considerably more expensive. My concern: Why throw good money after bad? Keep those additional payments in your portfolio for that rainy day.

More importantly, with a 30-year loan, you have the absolute right to make extra monthly payments to reduce your loan balance more quickly. But unlike a 15-year loan, where you must make the payment each and every month, with a 30-year loan you have the option to pay more — not the obligation.

Let me make it clear, however, that this is my personal opinion. Review the facts, run the numbers and decide for yourself which loan is best for you.

Benny Kass is a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland. He does not provide specific legal or financial advice to any reader. Readers may email him, but he cannot guarantee a personal response.

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