A Florida real estate attorney may serve as a reliable partner in the process of buying or selling a property, providing valuable counseling and helping you to navigate the process adequately. In this article, you will discover why and how you should hire a real estate attorney in Florida.
Florida Real Estate Attorney – Explaining the Job
A real estate attorney is a licensed attorney who specializes in legal matters involving real estate, such as purchases, sales, leases, and construction/development.
Experts in solving cases both in commercial and residential real estate, they handle all types of real estate contracts and legal documents, including:
- Purchase and sale agreements
- Lease agreements
- Deeds of assignment
- Title documents
- Mortgage contracts and documents
- Land receipts
- Survey plans
- Amendments, affidavits, and legal statements
Not only a real estate attorney will create or handle these documents but also provide clients a better understanding of the liabilities, obligations, and other terms involved in each of them. Other legal services offered by real estate attorneys in Florida include:
- Representing clients in negotiations
- Reviewing negotiation offers
- Helping clients identify whether an offer is actually beneficial
- Proceeding with all due diligence involved in real estate transactions
- Providing legal counseling in building and development projects
- Protect the client’s interests in foreclosure proceedings (either buyers or sellers)
- Coordinating real estate closing to ensure a streamlined process
- Performing title and lien searches
- Helping clients deal with zoning issues
- Working with other professionals to benefit clients (e.g., licensed CPAs, title agents, surveyors, etc.)
- Assisting clients in real estate disputes and litigation (e.g., title disputes, breach of contract, etc.)
Which Scenarios Require the Assistance of a Florida Real Estate Attorney?
Although not mandatory by state law, there are several situations in which the assistance of an experienced real estate attorney is fundamental. In Florida, you may need an attorney if you are:
- Building a property for the first time
- Building a property and experiencing land, title, or environmental issues
- Selling or buying an existing residential property
- Buying a property through a short sale
- Selling or buying a property with physical defects
- Selling or buying a property in a hazard-prone area (a common scenario in Florida)
- Selling or buying a property subject to environmental issues (i.e., an area plagued with chemical contamination)
- Buying a bank-owned property
- Selling or buying a commercial property with existing tenants
- Experiencing hardship to understand a sales contract or any other legal agreement
- Negotiating with lenders
- Negotiating better contractual terms or similar benefits in a real estate transaction
- Experiencing issues associated with a landlord-tenant relationship
- Handling foreclose proceedings
How to Hire a Florida Real Estate Attorney – An Honest Overview
It is fundamental to ensure a professional has the necessary skills and qualities to handle a case, such as pragmatism, willingness to listen, in-depth knowledge of the law, good judgment, and experience in similar cases.
A good lawyer will consider all the factors involved and closely assess the case’s circumstances to present only real solutions. When consulting with a prospective legal advisor for the first time, clients must make sure that the attorney:
- Understands the client’s case and goals
- Has good listening skills
- Ensures frequent communication
- Has an active, responsive approach to the presented challenges
- Focuses on a professional relationship based on trust
- Only works focused on facts and feasible solutions
- Talks about fees upfront
- Maintains clients updated on all progress
Immediately Contact an Experienced Real Estate Attorney at Jurado & Associates, P.A.
Waste no time with uncertainty – if you need an expert legal advisor in Florida real estate, call us today at (305) 921-0976 or email [email protected] to schedule a consultation.