US power of attorney from Ghana to sell or manage US real estate

Selling or managing a house or a rental property in the United States while you live in Ghana usually runs through a real estate agent, a title company and, if the property is financed, a lender. A power of attorney signed from Accra and notarized by a U.S. notary lets that agent or a trusted person sign the closing documents without you traveling back for the sale.

What the title company accepts matters more than what a generic template says, so the process starts with their requirements, not the document itself.

What a title company usually asks for

Before drafting anything, the title company or the closing attorney handling the sale will usually want to see:

• A power of attorney that names the property, by the same legal description used in the deed, not just a street address.
• Language that specifically allows the agent to sign a deed, a settlement statement and any disclosures tied to the sale.
• A notarial certificate in the form the county recording office accepts, since some offices are stricter than others about wording.
• In some cases, an original that is later recorded alongside the deed, rather than a copy kept in a file.

Ask the title company for their own checklist early. Many have handled an absent seller before and can say exactly what they need.

Signing from Accra, Kumasi or Takoradi

A few routes work for a seller in Ghana:

• A U.S. notary by video. The international signer service verifies your passport during a recorded session, and most title companies accept this for a power of attorney tied to a sale, though it is worth asking the closing attorney directly.
• The U.S. Embassy in Accra. A consular officer can notarize the document in person, which some county recorders still prefer for real estate instruments.
• A Ghanaian notary. Workable only if the title company and the county recording office both agree to accept it, and a document that will be recorded tends to draw closer scrutiny than most.

Choosing the agent and the scope of authority

The person who signs on your behalf, often a real estate agent, an attorney, or a relative in the United States, should be named precisely, and the document should state clearly whether their authority covers only this one sale or extends further. A buyer's attorney or the title company may ask to see the power of attorney well before closing, so sharing it early avoids a delay on signing day.

If the property still has a mortgage

A financed property adds a lender to the list of people who need to sign off. The lender may require its own payoff authorization, separate from the power of attorney used for the sale itself, and will usually want direct confirmation from you, not only from the agent, before releasing a payoff statement. Raising this early with the title company avoids a late surprise once the sale is already under contract, and it keeps the agent from signing something the lender later refuses to honor.

Getting the signed original to the closing

Because the document is likely to be recorded with the deed, most closings want a wet-ink original rather than a scan. After the notarization, the signed original is shipped to the agent, the closing attorney or the title company directly, with tracking kept until delivery is confirmed. The guide on printing, signing, notarizing and mailing from abroad covers how that packing and shipping usually works.

What slows this down

• Drafting the power of attorney before the title company has confirmed the exact wording it needs.
• Naming the property loosely instead of using the legal description from the deed.
• Waiting until closing day to send the original, instead of shipping as soon as it is notarized.

The guide on notarizing U.S. documents from Ghana looks at options for other kinds of documents, not only property sales.

How TR Signing Group handles it

TR Signing Group checks the title company's requirements first, then prepares the signing around them. Tanim Raquib, a commissioned New Jersey notary public, holds the session at a time that works from Accra, Kumasi or Takoradi through the power of attorney notarization service, and the international mailing service ships the signed original to the closing attorney, the agent or the title company. Request a quote or book a free 15-minute call before you contact the title company.