Everyone understands what a real estate agent does for you when you are buying or selling a house. Your realtor helps you sell your current house and find a new place to live. They negotiate sale prices, fill out all the necessary contracts and documents, and represent you at closing.
But your agent is not the only possible member of your real estate team. Experienced homebuyers in the West Chester area know that retaining a real estate attorney can give them a serious benefit.
Looking for conflicts before they happen
The sale of real estate is a transaction, not a legal contest. Both the buyer and the seller have the same goal. But disputes can still arise. The most serious problems can lead to lengthy and expensive litigation.
If that happens, your real estate lawyer can represent you in court. But preventing lawsuits in the first place may be their most important job. This typically involves reviewing the purchase agreement, disclosures, the property’s title documents and other key papers. Most people who are unfamiliar with these documents are likely to miss errors or clauses they did not agree to. But an experienced real estate lawyer will catch these potential land mines. They will bring those issues to the other party’s attention to either correct them or negotiate an acceptable solution.
By your side at closing
Though most real estate closings go smoothly, last-minute disagreements do sometimes arise. Your attorney can attend the closing with you and represent you should anything unexpected happen. They will also make sure that the transaction is complete and legally binding on both buyer and seller.
This is just a broad overview of the work that real estate attorneys in Pennsylvania do for their clients. For more detailed information, consult a real estate lawyer in your area.