If you’re buying your first home, you may find the whole process rather intimidating. Quite likely, you’re making the biggest single purchase and investment of your life thus far. It’s smart to work with a realtor lawyer to help ensure you make a sound decision. This is true for everyone buying a home but can be especially crucial for first-time buyers.
Why? The stakes are high and selecting the right home might improve your quality of life and financial situation. On the other hand, if you purchase the wrong property or sign a bad contract, you could lose wealth and might have to deal with a lot of headaches. This makes working with an attorney crucial. Yet there are over 7,000 real estate attorneys in the United States, according to Zippia. How do you select the right realtor lawyer? Let’s dig in.
Examine Their Skills and Experience
Legal frameworks are very complex. You might think that any old lawyer can handle any legal matter, but in practice, it’s wise to find specialists. Some attorneys focus on criminal matters, others focus on corporate governance, and some focus on real estate, among many other specialties. When selecting real estate attorneys, make sure your shortlist is made up of people who specialize specifically in this area of law.
After that, you can start to look at individual factors to better understand just how skilled a particular realtor lawyer is. How many years have they been in business? Are they prestigious? Have they worked on major real estate deals? It’s best to consider many different factors when evaluating a lawyer’s experience and resume.
You can also check out their education. If a particular attorney graduated from a top law school, that’s certainly a good sign. Still, real-world experience is critical, so you may want to give more weight to the rest of their resume.
How Do They Handle Client Relationships?
The wisest realtor lawyer in the world may be a poor fit for you if they are overburdened with other clients, disorganized, and not responsive. Customer service is just as important in legal matters as in other fields. You’ll want to find a lawyer who has the bandwidth to handle your case, who is easy to communicate with, and who is organized and stays on top of everything. This can help ensure good outcome.
Often, you can find client reviews for realtor lawyers online. It’s wise to examine these reviews closely. Sometimes a client is impossible to please, so a few negative reviews aren’t necessarily something to worry about. However, if you uncover patterns, say multiple clients complaining about poor communication, that’s certainly something to take into consideration. You may be better off working with another attorney.
How Much Do They Charge?
When it comes to legal matters, quality should generally take precedence over price. That said, you may have found three or four great realtor lawyers, and you might not be sure which one to select. At this stage, it’s smart to consider price and who offers the best value. Just make sure you’re not settling for a lesser attorney simply because he or she is charging a bit less. This could turn out to be a costly mistake in the long run if they mishandle your situation.
Find Realtor Lawyer Who Can Provide Peace of Mind
Arguably, the most important thing an attorney can offer is peace of mind. No one wants to stress out, but when you’re cutting a real estate deal, a lot will be at stake. The terms and implications of various contracts, local zoning laws, problems with deeds or titles, there are so many issues that can crop up when you cut a real estate deal.
Unless you’re a legal expert, you’ll likely struggle to follow and understand everything. Sure, you could read through every contract, which is a good idea. However, you likely won’t understand every bit of jargon and the full implication of every clause. That’s where a real estate attorney comes in. He or she can safeguard your interests, ask questions, handle negotiations, and share the burden if something goes wrong or sticking points emerge.
As you can see, working with a realtor lawyer is a wise idea, especially if you’re buying your first home. If you’re looking for attorneys you can count on, get in touch with The Law Office of Lawrence M. Centanni. We look forward to working with you and providing our legal expertise.
