The most common question buyers and sellers often have are, should I hire an attorney?
Reasons for buyers to hire an attorney
- You’re an out-of-town buyer.
- You’re buying a property that is a short sale or bank-owned.
- You’re buying a property that is part of an estate sale.
- You’re buying a commercial property.
- You’re buying a property that could potentially have some structural issues.
- You’re buying a property in a problematic area such as a flood zone or areas with adverse conditions (tornado-prone, radon, toxicity levels, etc.).
Reasons for sellers to hire an attorney
- You’re selling a property that is in some state of distress.
- You’re the heir or executor of a property whose owner is now deceased.
- You’re selling a house with an uncooperative partner.
- You have judgments or liens on the property.
- You have that gut feeling that something could possibly go wrong based on knowledge you have about the property.
If any of the above scenarios apply to your situation, then hiring an attorney may be strongly beneficial. If none of these scenarios apply, then you may be fine to use your real estate agent’s knowledge and expertise to take you through to closing.
Bryan Battina is a licensed Minnesota real estate broker. Mr. Battina takes annual real estate continuing education courses to stay on top of the latest issues and can assist you with the legal issues that may arise in your potential transaction.
