Get Early Legal Advice When Buying or Selling a Home
As a law firm with a longstanding real estate practice, we encourage clients to come to us for legal advice about real estate transactions as early as possible. The purchase or sale of a home involves many complex contracts — with brokers, listing agents, homeowners and banks. Each of these contracts is a binding legal document. Too often, buyers or sellers of real estate sign these contracts without first having them reviewed by a knowledgeable real estate lawyer. The cost of retaining an attorney to review real estate contracts is slight compared with the potential cost of resolving any conflicts that might arise after the contracts are signed.
Acton, Massachusetts: The Real Estate Law Firm of Graham & Harsip, P.C.
Graham & Harsip, P.C., is a local law firm with more than 35 years of real estate law experience. Our real estate law practice is led by senior attorney Steven R. Graham, who has lived and worked in Acton and Concord for more than 30 years. We take pride in helping clients smoothly manage the complex and sometimes stressful process of completing a real estate transaction.
Why Seek Advice From a Real Estate Attorney?
There are several stages in the process of buying or selling a home during which you might consider seeking legal advice.
- Listing contract: Before you sign a listing contract with a broker's office or a real estate agent, ask for attorney review. Your lawyer can make sure that the terms of the agreement are acceptable to you, especially with regard to the length of the contract and the terms under which the broker is responsible for advertising and listing the property.
- Offer to purchase: On the buyer's side of the transaction, this is one of the most important documents in the transaction. Many buyers treat the offer to purchase as a formality. In reality, the offer to purchase sets up the entire framework for the transaction and should be written and reviewed carefully.
- Purchase and sale agreement: Attorney review of the purchase agreement is important for both the buyer and the seller. Your attorney will review the agreement to make sure you are fully protected with regard to issues such as timing and conditions which either party must meet to complete the transaction.
- The closing: Many buyers do not know they may choose law firm to handle their closing. Although the financing bank may request a particular closing company, the buyer may usually choose his or her attorney to handle the closing to save costs and for greater convenience.
Consult With Graham & Harsip, P.C.
We offer a complimentary 20-minute telephone consultation to buyers and sellers of residential real estate. To make an appointment, call 978-631-0146 or use our online contact form.
