Real estate lawyers document and review real estate transactions, including purchases, leases, inspections and appraisals. Many real estate lawyers also help lenders carry out foreclosure, while others help borrowers defend against foreclosure. Finally, real estate lawyers can help provide access to title insurance and help assure that your title is valid.
At Leggett Law, our team knows how important your real estate is, whether you are purchasing, selling, leasing or protecting your property. We have extensive experience in handling real estate transactions for clients of all shapes and sizes.
DOCUMENT DRAFTING
One of the key roles a real estate lawyer has is that of drafting documents, especially deeds and contracts. Real estate attorneys prepare deeds for conveyance transactions, leases and rental agreements, purchase contracts and financing agreements. While state law allows real estate agents to help clients fill out these types of documents, only licensed lawyers can actually draft and revise the documents.
NEGOTIATIONS
Because real estate lawyers have sophisticated experience with many types of real estate transactions, clients often ask their real estate lawyer to negotiate the terms and conditions of real estate deals. This involves working with other attorneys, developers, brokers and investors.
TRANSACTION REVIEW
Some real estate attorneys are involved in reviewing and providing advice on real estate transactions. Clients will negotiate their own deals, sign a contract and then ask the lawyer to perform the "due diligence" on the deal. This means the lawyer will examine legal title issues, environment issues and reports and any of the contracts or other documents involved in the transaction. At Leggett Law, we have training that allows us to spot issues that often clients do not recognize. In this role, Leggett Law is a guardian for our clients making sure they don't fall into any unseen legal traps.
FORECLOSURE
Many real estate attorneys specialize in mortgage and trust deed foreclosure, particularly during difficult economic times. Some lawyers represent lenders while others represent borrowers. The lawyers representing lenders help guide lenders correctly through the foreclosure process, which may include filing a lawsuit in court. The lawyers representing borrowers, on the other hand, try to make life difficult for the foreclosing lender by challenging any mistakes made in the foreclosure process, and by negotiating with the lender for a settlement agreement to stop the foreclosure process.