A Power of Attorney (POA) is a written authorization, giving one person (the “attorney-in-fact”) the legal authority to act on behalf of another (the “grantor”). For a POA to be acceptable for mortgage documents it must be Specific. Really specific—naming a particular address and a particular transaction.

Let’s say you are going to be climbing Mount Everest the week you are supposed to close on the purchase of your home. Or maybe your 90-year-old grandmother in Florida has agreed to cosign on your home purchase. If it is not physically possible or would be terribly inconvenient for someone party to a real estate transaction to sign closing documents in person at the title company, a Power of Attorney (POA) can be the solution.

It is important to make arrangements for a POA as far in advance as possible. Your loan documents cannot be prepared until the POA has been prepared and cannot be signed before the POA is signed and notarized. Oh and, buy your attorney-in-fact a nice bottle of wine or something—signing as a POA is a PIA.