>In France (civil law, different from US common law) a notary is a qualified lawyer whose role when selling the house is to ensure that all the legal aspects are handled correctly (including things as making sure that the technical reviews of the house have been done, that there are specific documents from the city etc.), and to make sure that the people who sign the documents are the ones that are allowed to do so.
This is typical in the US, too (just called a lawyer, not a notary) but it's not required
If you're buying a house with a mortgage, you're going to be represented by a lawyer who makes sure everything is on the up and up (and more importantly the mortgage company is being represented to make sure everything is on the up and up)
But, it's not required and really all that's required to transfer property is a signature on a deed
This is typical in the US, too (just called a lawyer, not a notary) but it's not required
If you're buying a house with a mortgage, you're going to be represented by a lawyer who makes sure everything is on the up and up (and more importantly the mortgage company is being represented to make sure everything is on the up and up)
But, it's not required and really all that's required to transfer property is a signature on a deed