When it comes to buying and selling real estate, there are certain situations where it helps to have a qualified legal professional on your side. If you are looking to get into real estate investing, attempting to purchase a short sale or foreclosure, or having unexpected complications with a simple transaction, it may be time to hire a real estate attorney. The question is why you should not go out and hire the cheapest attorney you can find.

Legal representation of exceptional quality should be the most important criterion when searching for an attorney and it will lead to the most favorable outcome possible. Any New York licensed attorney, may engage in real estate transactions within the state with minimal or no additional training. However, real estate law is known for its complexity. Attorneys who are unfamiliar with the complexities of real estate transactions may encounter problems when overseeing a real estate transfer. So avoid hiring “the dabbler” to help you buy or sell real estate. “The dabbler” is the attorney whose practice is 1% real estate and 99% everything else. A real estate attorney is a lawyer whose primary practice is real estate. The attorney may work in other areas of law, but the main focus is on residential and/or commercial real estate transactions.

Once you have narrowed down your search to real estate attorneys, you should consider experience. Generally, the more complicated the transaction is, the more experienced you want your attorney to be. Every real estate transaction is different and it is to your advantage to find an attorney who is experienced in handling situations similar to yours. Choosing an attorney who is familiar with the type of transaction involved works in your favor, since they already understand the potential problems that can arise and how to head them off. Just keep in mind that you may end up paying more for the services of an attorney who has been practicing for ten or twenty years than you would for one who is two or three years out of law school, which leads to the point of this article – price is an important consideration when it comes to choosing a real estate attorney but it should not be the only one.

You have to ask yourself what are you getting for your money? In addition, to experience you should consider how accessible your real estate attorney will be throughout the process. If you are considering hiring a larger firm to help you purchase or sell your house, it is a good idea to know whether anyone else will be working on your transaction besides your attorney. In some instances, part of the workload may be handed over to paralegals or junior attorneys so you need to be sure that you are comfortable with who has access to your information and how accessible your attorney will be to answer your questions and address your concerns. Communication is key to a good working relationship with your attorney and you need to feel confident that they will be able to address your concerns if and when they arise.

At Primo & Hills Law Firm, we recognize we are not the cheapest attorneys that you could hire.  We do not try to be, we do not want to be and frankly picking an attorney based on how little they charge is a terrible way to choose a lawyer.  At Primo & Hills Law Firm, we strive to provide the highest quality legal representation as well as the finest customer service possible.  There is no way that we could possibly do that on the cheap. You would never consider choosing a surgeon based on who is cheapest, so why would you consider choosing your lawyer exclusively on price? Consult with us, check out our website, and consider our experience level with your type of transaction.  While cost is certainly a component of the decision, effective learned counsel should be your primary goal.