Choose a Lawyer

Buying a home involves piles of legal documents. You need someone to translate the "legalese" and ensure your best interests are protected.

Finding a Lawyer

There are many experienced real estate lawyers out there. Like choosing any other professional, ask your friends, family and co-workers for their recommendations. Your REALTOR® can also give you the name(s) of experienced real estate lawyers in your area.

How will your lawyer help?

There are many legal steps to transferring ownership of land from one person to another. Even if pitfalls like fraud, government legislation, zoning issues or unpaid taxes don't come up, your lawyer will help make the legal transfer of the home as smooth as possible. A typical transfer of title will require two weeks to complete.

Tip: Be sure to ask your lawyer how they structure their fees and get an estimate of the costs you can expect. And remember, your lawyer is here to help you. Ask questions if you don't understand anything. Explaining legal jargon in plain language is a big part of their job.