Columbia, South Carolina real estate is our specialty! Serving the Columbia, SC area, including Lake Murray, Cayce, Chapin, Irmo, Lexington, West Columbia
and more!
Columbia SC Real Estate Attorneys
Not all real estate attorneys are competent, let alone good. And it’s important to find one who will help, rather than hinder the deal.
Finding a good real estate attorney is like finding a good broker.
First, you should ask your broker and friends for recommendations. You want someone experienced, someone who has handled a minimum of fifty closings within the past three years. After you get several names, call them on the phone and ask them how much they charge and what they will do for that fee. Don’t be embarrassed to ask about fees. It’s crucial that you know what you’re getting for your money.
Some attorneys (especially those in medium or large law firms) charge by the hour. Others (especially solo practitioners) charge a flat fee. Try to find someone who will charge you a flat fee for his or her time. That way if there is a problem with the closing, you won’t be charged for all those extra hours.
What an attorney charges should not be the sole factor in your decision to hire.
Looking solely at how much attorneys charge for their services is not necessarily the best way to choose your attorney. For this, the biggest investment of your life, ask yourself if you feel comfortable telling this person all the intimate details of your financial life. It’s vital that you feel comfortable with, and perhaps even a bit close to, your attorney.
Once you hire the attorney, the general idea is to let him or her do their job. If the attorney advises you on certain points, believe him or her. If he or she tells you to do something, do it. The attorney knows the ins and outs of real estate law much better than you do.
Note: Hiring a real estate lawyer is not the same thing as having your Uncle Harry, the tax attorney, do your real estate closing. Real estate law is specialized, and while Uncle Harry may be a whiz at writing wills, or leasing airplanes, or finding creative places to put your money, he may help you get nailed to the wall in two minutes if he doesn't truly understand the finer points of real estate law.
This Home Buying Tip was excerpted from:
100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, by Ilyce R. Glink, Random House, 1994.
ISBN 0812922382