06/22/2020
What is a Subordination Agreement?
A Subordination Agreement is a notarized document that establishes the order of liens against a property. If the property owner defaults in a payment resulting in a bankruptcy, the lien mentioned first in the subordination agreement gets paid off first from the proceeds.
If you are refinancing your first mortgage and have an existing second or home equity line, one could “subordinate” the second mortgage: request that your second mortgage holder go back into the second lien position when you replace your existing first mortgage with the new refinance loan. The Subordination Agreement is the document used for this purpose. The Subordination Agreement always needs to be notarized and recorded with the county recorder.
How can you notarize a Subordination Agreement?
The Subordination Agreement is commonly notarized with an Acknowledgment. You would need to personally appear before a Notary Public with this document signed by you. Then, you would sign the Notary’s journal (in most states) and acknowledge that you signed the document. You would need to be identified by the Notary with a driver license, passport, or other current government issued photo ID with a physical description. Then the Notary would fill out the Acknowledgment wording, sign and seal the paperwork, and you’re done. This document needs to be recorded at your county clerk’s office as stateed above!
