Buying or selling real estate without a lawyer can be a great way to get yourself into legal trouble. So, if legal trouble is what you are looking for, definitely go for it. On the other hand, if you want your real estate transaction to go off without a hitch and be free of anxiety, you will need to hire an experienced attorney. Because real estate closings can be challenging, you should seek out as much assistance as possible. In this article, you will learn why.
Every week, potential clients tell us some variation of “my realtor told me I do not need a lawyer” or “my realtor told me that the transaction is being handled by the title company that the seller chose” or “my friends told me that in Florida, you do not need a lawyer to close on a house.” While the words our clients use vary, our answer rarely does. When a potential client comes to us with any of the above “facts,” we simply tell them that it is not true. You absolutely need a lawyer to buy and sell real estate in Florida, and buying or selling real estate without a lawyer is a bad idea. In this article, you will learn why.
Why Buying or Selling Real Estate Without a Lawyer Is a Bad Idea
No one else in the transaction is going to be looking out for you. Here is a real-life example. A buyer hired a lawyer to help her buy a home in the Orlando area. A partnership, which we will call AZ Partnership, owned the subject property. AZ Partnership signed the Purchase Agreement, and as part of it, they hired the title company that would handle the closing. After asking the title company for the closing statement and other closing documents for a week, the buyer’s lawyer received them at 4 p.m. on a Friday, and they were supposed to close on Monday morning. They received the documents after the wire rooms closed, so there was no time to wire the money. In addition, the seller’s name in the documents was incorrect. The company that sold the property to AZ Partnership, XY Partnership, was listed as the seller. Something was wrong, and it was clear. If an experienced lawyer had not been involved, they would have sent a notary to meet with the buyer. She would have signed the final closing documents and wired the money to the title company, only to receive a deed from the wrong party! After that, things would have gotten quite bad if a real estate lawyer had not been there to represent the buyer.
Of course, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. However, in the real estate world, the relation between the size of mistakes and their consequences is absurd. Even the tiniest mistake can result in a colossal legal problem. The only way to truly avoid making mistakes when buying or selling real estate in Florida is to work with an experienced Florida Real Estate Attorney who knows what to look out for during a transaction.
Are You Looking to Buy Real Estate in Florida? We Can Help You
Highly skilled and experienced Florida Real Estate Attorney Romy B. Jurado can help you navigate the real estate purchase process from beginning to end, making sure you do not get a single headache during the most critical stages. If you are ready to buy or sell, contact Romy today by calling (305) 921-0976 or send an email to [email protected] to schedule an initial consultation.
