ISO: real estate lawyers

[Akumaz]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a real estate lawyer?
that you have dealt with?

i am looking for one at a decent price

what is the average price people are paying now adays? any input is good input

[TimLacroix]

Real Estate lawyers are not all created equal. However, Jordan Lotoski and I use Clint Clark fairly often and are very satisfied with his service.

Click Clint Clark (http://www.clarklegal.com/) for his information.

[dexlargo]

What part of the City are you in? It makes a bit of a difference because you'll likely have to go to the lawyer's office a few times to sign papers and stuff, so I think it's worthwhile to get someone close to you.

I've used Donna Morris a couple of times - Her office is in the Market Mall professional building. She's really pleasant to talk to and did her job properly and released proceeds from trust promptly. I've happily recommended her to friends before. If I was on the other side of the city though, I'd get someone else.

As for cost, I can't remember exactly what I've paid, but I would expect you'd have to pay somewhere between 1000-1500 (I might be misremembering, but I think 2 years ago I paid 1200) for the legal fees, but there will also be disbursements on top of that (fees for registering title documents, mortgage documents, real property report, pulling title several times, etc.), which will add another few hundred dollars or so.

[yellowsnow]

I went to a law office called "your lawyer". was pretty cheap, and they got the job done without any issues.

[Clever]

I work for a real estate law firm, we have a base amount for legal fees, not including disbursements as that amount fluctuate. There is also a cost to register your mortgage with landtitles and to transfer the title to your name, that depends on the purchase price of the property and the mortgage amount. The fees vary for each firm.

Some firms charge more if you are purchasing a new build. Some builder offer "free" legal fees when your buying a new build as well.

A few things to keep in mind, make sure your possession date is not on a weekend or a holiday, do a thorough walk through and include all your conditions on the contract, before you sign anything.

PM me if you have any questions.

[Akumaz]

thanks for the info everyone,

i will give the above recommended ones a shot

i am a bit torn between free lawyer but higher mortage rate, or lower rate but find / pay for my own lawyer + cash incentive

i may be able to save a bit by finding my own lawyer, but it all depends on the cost of the lawyer

hm..

[TimLacroix]

Originally posted by Akumaz
thanks for the info everyone,

i will give the above recommended ones a shot

i am a bit torn between free lawyer but higher mortage rate, or lower rate but find / pay for my own lawyer + cash incentive

i may be able to save a bit by finding my own lawyer, but it all depends on the cost of the lawyer

hm..

Sounds like you are buying/ building a new home and the builder is covering legal costs? Correct...

If so, I am not a big fan of that since you are not necessarily getting independent legal advice.

It could potentially save you lots of headaches and money in the long run to obtain your own lawyer who will look after your interest.

FYI - many lenders are now requesting different lawyers to act on your behalf for builder purchases/ builds. Banks are still allowing this but eventually will/ might change. Exceptions to this rule is a lawyer within the same firm to complete an ILA (independent legal advice form).

[JordanLotoski]

Originally posted by TimLacroix
Real Estate lawyers are not all created equal. However, Jordan Lotoski and I use Clint Clark fairly often and are very satisfied with his service.

Click Clint Clark (http://www.clarklegal.com/) for his information.

:thumbsup:

[Akumaz]

Originally posted by TimLacroix


Sounds like you are buying/ building a new home and the builder is covering legal costs? Correct...

If so, I am not a big fan of that since you are not necessarily getting independent legal advice.

It could potentially save you lots of headaches and money in the long run to obtain your own lawyer who will look after your interest.

FYI - many lenders are now requesting different lawyers to act on your behalf for builder purchases/ builds. Banks are still allowing this but eventually will/ might change. Exceptions to this rule is a lawyer within the same firm to complete an ILA (independent legal advice form).

yes i am building new, and lawyer fee is covered IF: i use their affiliated mortage specialists, there is a few major banks

shouldn't the lawyer be NON-biased and look after my interest regardless who paid for his service? i never thought about that... =S
regardless, would they not be held liable for his legal "advice" , i am not exactly sure what a real estate lawyer does

[dexlargo]

^In a dual agency situation, a lawyer can act for both parties unless and until there is any conflict between the two parties. If that happens, he has to back out and cannot represent either party any longer with regards to this transaction.

The lawyer would likely not provide much advice to either side - just take instructions.

Basically the only time you see it happen is if there is a consensual divorce, or new home sales by the builder. Oh, and when acting for a buyer with a mortgage - in that case, the lawyer is almost always required by the lender to also act for them for the purposes of protecting their interest on title and taking and distributing the mortgage funds.