Finding a decent affordable real estate lawyer for reviewing contracts and closing on a house to be built
Ridley Park, PA
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Posted about 1 year ago in General Practice
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We have begun the process of contracting to build a house with a company that, in our opinion, has been very up-front and helpful with us. However, as our first time doing anything like this (and with little to no guidance from anyone in the know), we have just started looking for a lawyer to review papers and represent us at the bank closing. I am looking for a few things: 1. What are reasonable lawyer fees for reviewing that forms/contracts are legit and safe, as well as representing at the closing? 2. How concerned should we be that we've done some of the work (closed on the land, signed a preliminary work contract) with only our own review & no legal representation, even though we feel pretty comfortable with the business owner & financial person? 3. How much do we really need a lawyer for? Like the review of papers & closing, or more? 4. Is there a resource that can give me the basic process on what order a deal like this should follow? We contracted w/ the company who found the plot, we put down the 20% for the land, closed, and now are beginning the process of setting up the closing for the bank loan to begin construction. Is that correct?
We are both well-educated and reasonable people, but are also wary enough of both business owners AND lawyers, given the reputation for anyone hoping to solicit your business in a field other than one you are knowledgeable of. We are not looking to be 'taken in,' (who is?) as frankly we can't afford it & just want to make sure we are safe, but we also want to know we are in trustworthy hands with the construction company. What kind of attributes should we look for, and what advice can we get on finding reasonable costs for competent services? We reside in southeastern PA (south of Philly) and north NJ; the area we are building in is the Poconos of northeastern rural PA, & we started looking for lawyers in that area as location to the property & company seems like a wise start. I spoke w/ a lawyer today, who while seeming like she knew what she was talking about, did not make me feel good about the fact that we have done some of this already on our own -- in fact, she made me feel rather stupid when I didn't know all the answers to her questions offhand & hadn't found a lawyer before starting. Clearly, if we had known the ins and outs of the process of building a home beforehand, I would not be asking for guidance AFTER having started some of the work. I am not comfortable giving my money and trust to someone who immediately takes the offensive when given a synopsis of the situation (again, we are not pros at this but have not felt as though we are being suckered; I hope we are right) and assumes we are going to find ourselves in trouble. I want a competent, respectful person who can meet our needs and our budget. Is this too much to ask? I thank you in advance for any advice, suggestions, and especially guidance with what to expect regarding fees and any potential resources. Thank you, Elisha - Is this your question? Add additional information Answers (1)Avvo Staff Moderator
This attorney is licensed in .
Posted about 1 year ago.
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First of all, you should be comfortable with the attorney's approach, which doesn't seem to be the case with the one attorney you've talked to. You should interview several, and choose one who seems to have the best rapport with you, adequate level of competence in the area you need, cost, and responsiveness. Of course, use Avvo to search for your attorney, and to check credentials on the one you consider hiring.
You shouldn't be overly concerned about having done some of the work yourself w/o an attorney. Watch out for the attorney who wants to spend time re-working any of those documents without a very good reason.
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