Attorney Shannon Wynn: Get your real estate lawyer sooner

One of the oddities of Wynn at Law, LLC's flow of phone calls is this:  A potential client will call within seconds of getting a $180 speeding ticket, but will wait to call until well into buying a $300,000 home. The stakes are so much higher in the latter, and in fact, a real estate attorney on the front end can end up saving you money. Here are four ways how:

•       Wynn at Law, LLC reviews the title. It’s a history project that reveals covenants on the property, environmental concerns (like our Geneva Lake Watershed), and liens. Any one of these can be costly to the buyer well after the closing.
•       When there’s a Home Owner Association (HOA) it can have a lasting impact on your happiness with your investment. One area of completely subjective info a seller has to his advantage is his opinion of the HOA. “They’re great.” “They’re harmless.” If the HOA was terrible, would they really tell you and possibly scuttle the sale? I look at the more objective – and legally binding – HOA rules before any contract ties you to them. A sale contract most definitely will.
•       Buyers sometimes want out of a contract. If you haven’t engaged an attorney before the offer, you might not have protected your ‘out.’ Sellers have the upper hand from engaging an attorney before listing, or at least by using the real estate agent’s legal contract. If the buyer doesn’t have the offer prepared properly and the contract drawn up in his/her best interest, that’s a legal cliff. You’ll either close, or buy your way out of the deal. But…
•        …A seller may call his attorney. A suit follows. They’re not unanimously successful, but they are an expensive time-eater.

When I get the chance to work with homebuyers early in the home-buying process, they’re excited people. And you should be: This is a great life changer. When I work with them later in the life-changing deal once it has gone south, it’s usually because they’re ticked-off with the seller. Who doesn’t prefer working with happy clients? But more importantly, they’re going to avoid costly mistakes. That’s part of the reward in which we can all share.

*The content and material in this original post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

 Photo by Syda Productions, Lev Dolgachov, used with permission.