Residential Real Estate Lawyer – Do You Really Need One?

Some states require lawyers to participate in residential real estate transactions, especially at closing or settlement. Notice how I said, “some states require…’” not simply that you need a real estate lawyer. The majority of states are known affectionately (by real estate lawyers) as, “non-attorney” states. In those states, conducting real estate closings is not considered the practice of law, so you are not required to have a real estate lawyer. The rest of the country resides in either, “attorney” states or states that have mandated the participation of real estate lawyers either for the entire closing or for some parts of the closing. (The parts where you need a real estate lawyer are usually defined by the clear as mud description, “those instances requiring the use of legal discretion and profound legal knowledge.”) Since choosing the right real estate lawyer can save you a lot of aggravation, you want someone who is:

Licensed and in good standing. Many states have web sites where you can look to see that the real estate lawyer you are considering is both licensed and in good standing.

Experienced. Word of mouth can be the best recommendation. If a friend or relative has been well served and satisfied with a real estate lawyer, chances are you will be also.

Real Estate Savvy. This is a specialized area. Just as every midwife might be capable of handling a simple birth, every lawyer might be capable of handling the so-called simple closing, (in California and other “non-attorney” states, people generally do not even use lawyers for residential transactions.) It would be nice, if at the beginning, you could know if yours will be one of those simple transactions. However, since most of us cannot see into the future, if you decide to hire a lawyer, you’ll want one well versed in real estate law and its peculiarities.

In your area. It is important that the real estate lawyer you hire be familiar with local rules and ordinances as they can have an enormous impact on how smoothly your deal flows.

That you can work with. There is no point in hiring someone you either do not like or do not trust. What good does it do you if you cannot rely on the information she gives you or, just as bad, you cannot stand talking to that person? A real estate transaction is not brain surgery; there are plenty of good real estate lawyers who also have pleasant personalities. You do not want to hire someone that does not play well with others. Your lawyer will be dealing not only with you, but with your buyer. You want someone who will help get the job done while protecting you.

How Can You Tell If Your State Is An “Attorney” State?

The easiest way is to log onto a website, such as [http://www.legalwiz.com/escrow.htm] which has a list. In addition to that, you can call your local bar association, your local title insurer, your local mortgage lender, or your local escrow agent. Using the word “local” is no accident. All real estate is local and all real estate laws are local in the sense of being governed by the state law of the state where the property is located.
If your house is located in an “attorney” state, adding a real estate lawyer to your team is both necessary and prudent. You’re going to have to have one anyway, so you might as well get her or him on the team early.

Do I Need A Real Estate Lawyer In A “Non-Attorney” State?

If the house you want to sell is in one of the majority “non-lawyer” states, you might need a real estate lawyer at some point if things get complicated, but there is no rush. In “non-attorney” states, closings usually take place through escrow. Although the escrow agent does not represent you, they are usually very knowledgeable and they are obligated to follow the directions you outlined when the escrow was set up.

If you do hire a real estate lawyer, she can be your second most valuable player. From advising you on such matters as the contract, disclosures, title, inspection issues, to holding the earnest money and handling the closing.

REMEMBER: Even in “attorney” states, real estate lawyers are not deal makers. Their job is to make sure the contract is properly executed. They may or may not be involved in the actual negotiations.

TIP: In some areas, real estate lawyers make a large chunk of their money from the title company they work with. As the seller, it will be your responsibility to bring down title. Therefore, working with an real estate lawyer who has a relationship with a title company, could be to your benefit.

Make Your Existence Global With Good Home Based Businesses

Extend the sphere of your activity from home to the world and from regional to international level of globalization. The extensive service of the internet is at your disposal to help you execute this mammoth task with good home based businesses. There is no other opportunity than a home business to earn bread and butter not by running round in circle outside the home but lying back on a couch inside the home.Doing research work at home for corporate organizations or academic institutes is one of the good home based businesses. Research is a time consuming job. Therefore, private companies to save their valuable time hire the services of freelance workers at a handsome cost to research for them.You can grab this opportunity to make profit in abundance. To stand out in this field you need internet navigation skills, comprehension skills and knowledge of different disciplines.Online retailing is a good option to make money online by working from home. You can do it by purchasing a stock and then selling it.Online retailing requires you to keep clients supplied with quality products from time to time. Make sure to deliver products to clients after assessing their value and quality. An eye for minute inspection ensures long-term profitability of this field.In the market of good home based businesses, eBay selling is another suitable money making method. eBay is a global platform to display your products for sale.Visitors to the site purchase your products and pay a hefty amount for them. Selling quality products with customer oriented service at eBay can fire up your home business.Affiliate selling is also a good internet based home business. Cost-effective nature of this business is the biggest advantage for you. It does not require you to invest for the purchase of a product and bear the stress of selling it.Recommending the product or service of another person to internet buyers is the only task that you need to carry out.Freelancing is the most rational and reasonable option among the good home-based businesses. As a copywriter, website designer or a business coach you can make your way to this online home business field.Freelancing is selling your technical, creative, artistic or theoretical knowledge and skill. There are few other opportunities than freelancing to making money by putting your skills into application.There are a few things to keep in mind while trying your luck in the tinsel world of home businesses.
Fast and quick access to clients from across the globe
Complete knowledge of using the internet in all possible ways
A perfect sense of professionalism
Grip on marketing techniques to promote your business
Idea of different advertising modes and methods
A home business becomes a moneymaking machine with proper application of knowledge, expertise and effort.These three things comprise the chief capital to fuel the growth and development of good home based businesses.

Letting Agents Are Better Property Managers

For many landlords, managing property is a challenge as they are hard pressed for time and also not near the proximate area of the property. That is why landlords are hiring rental agents in London for better property management.

As we know there are many benefits in taking the services of London letting agents. One reason for hiring a letting agent is the absence of property owners from the property sites. So having someone to manage the property when the owner is abroad can help.

Tips for Choosing a reliable letting agent

Always choose a letting agent who is part of a professional organization.
It can be the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA): or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This is because the agents will be bound by a code of practice.
Some letting agencies offer letting and management services.
A property owner or landlord must decide which suits him better.
Make sure the agent has the network to market your property.
Appointing more than one agent for letting a property is also not bad.
BENEFITS OF HIRING LETTING AGENCY/AGENTS

Legal Assistance. A good letting agency will be familiar with the laws and regulations surrounding rental properties in his area. So the agents handle liability, risk and manage properties without risks for landlords. Sometimes inexperienced landlords violate regulations and land in financial and legal trouble. But an agent always eliminates that risk.

Time Management. Managing a property takes time. Aspects like advertising, handling paperwork, meeting tenants and handling issues consume lots of time. So landlords owning a significant amount of property like to work with a letting agent who can manage the property and stop bothering the landlord who might be busy.

Marketing Services. The letting agents offer good marketing services. They market properties online and attract potential tenants. In fact when a rental property is vacant it is loss of money to the landlord.

Dealing With Tenants. Handling a bad tenant is better left to rental agents as they know how to tackle tenants, handle property visits and conduct background checks. A landlord when working with an agent ensures that his tenants are reliable, make rent payments on time and will not create any trouble.

Domain Knowledge. There are agents who handle some property management, but a letting agent is the best expert in managing a rental property. This is because rental agents can deal with all small problems and prevent them from becoming big problems.

Updated Information. A good letting agent will be abreast of changing policies, regulations, economic conditions and property developments. So the pace of his updates is vast and a landlord cannot afford to keep pace with that.

The fees of agents are affordable and reasonable too. The objective of hiring letting agents makes a win win scenario for both the property owner and agents as well.