the Price of General Legal Services

This is the attorney's fees paid for the purchase of a new house. The fee included the attorney reviewing the contracts drafted by the seller's attorney and making any necessary changes, contracting with and overseeing the title company involved, and attending the closing. The attorney also reviewed the mortgage documents to make sure they were legal and to point out any problems with those documents. This fee also included handling any issues that arose during contract negotiations and throughout the process from contract to even after the closing. There was a broken washer and a few other items that were discovered after taking possession of the house, and this fee included the attorney representing me in negotiating compensation for those items.

In New York State, you simply cannot buy or sell a house without an attorney. I have heard of people paying much higher fees, even double what I paid, so I consider this a bargain. There was no way I would have understood half of what was going on without my attorney's assistance. He and his associate handled all of my phone calls (of which there were many) professionally and courteously. I never for a moment felt that I was not being properly represented. My attorney saw to it that I was adequately compensated for broken appliances that were misrepresented by the sellers. His recommendations throughout my negotiations saved me thousands of dollars. I have recommended him to several friends.

I got my attorney's name on a recommendation from a friend. To me, word of mouth is the best way to find someone like this. You are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a home purchase, do not go for substandard representation. Make sure your attorney is experienced in real estate, as a lot of attorneys are willing to take on work outside their scope of experience just to make extra money. Check with your local bar association to make sure your attorney is in good standing.