Absolutely, in my opinion, the attorney and the broker play two separate roles in the transaction. A broker comes with the experience of real estate transactions in general, but you need an attorney to make sure that you’re covered on the legal side, that you’re meeting the deadlines and that you’ve incorporated everything into the contract that’s necessary to protect you.

Most people when they purchase a home, it’s the largest financial transaction of their lives. Title insurance ensures that no one has a claim on your property or can come back and make a claim in any way. If you’re borrowing money to purchase a property the lender is going to require that you obtain title insurance. The title insurance in general is a very good idea when purchasing property.

It’s a good idea to have an experienced Florida real estate attorney review your documents prior to the closing. That way if you have any questions about what a document means or whether interest rates or closing costs are correct, those items can be addressed in advance by your attorney, so on the day of closing everything can go smoothly.

If you are purchasing real estate on an as-is contract, it’s very important to have an attorney on your side and also to perform an inspection on the property. Even though you are purchasing a property as-is, a seller is still obligated to disclose all known facts that materially affect the value that are not readily observable by the buyer.

When you purchase real estate in Florida, you’re going to have a purchase contract between you and the other party. It’s important that you have an experienced real estate attorney draft this contract, or at a very minimum review the contract to explain to you what the contingencies are in the contract. Contingencies are things that have to occur for the purchase to move forward. For instance, you may have a financing contingency so that you can borrow money to buy the house. And then if you can’t borrow the money, you won’t have to purchase the home. There could be an inspection contingency to make sure that the house is exactly what you’re bargaining for. The important thing to realize is that this needs to be done on the front end. It needs to be done when the contract is being drafted, and an experienced attorney can help you put in those contingencies for your protection.

It’s important to review an attorney’s experience and qualifications in the area which you’re intending to hire them. For instance, if you’re looking for a residential real estate attorney, have they been involved in a lot of real estate deals? What experience do they have with real estate litigation? It’s also a good idea to have someone you’re compatible with personality wise. The attorney-client relationship is very important, and attorney and client must trust each other to come up with the best outcome.

It’s important when purchasing real estate that you have a title search done. This is something that an experienced Florida real estate attorney can do or a title company. Essentially, they’re going to research the history of the property to make sure there are no claims on the property or anything that could cloud the title. You can also have the option of purchasing a title insurance policy, which will insure you up to the purchase price that there are no claims on your property from any past mortgage or lien holders.

In Florida, the law does permit a real estate broker to act as a transaction broker, essentially representing both the buyer and the seller. In these situations it’s critical that a party retains the services of an experienced real estate attorney to make sure that their best interests are being represented.

Typically, the closing is performed by a third party such as a licensed Florida real estate attorney or a title company. The closing agent makes sure all the expenses of sale are paid, that the proper prorations are done, records all the legal documents, and then distributes the moneys at the end of the closing.

In Florida, it’s important to consult with an experienced real estate attorney when you’re selling a home. In Florida, we have very special homestead protection laws that you cannot sell your primary residence, mortgage your primary residence or will away your primary residence without your spouse’s consent. So it’s important to know on the front end, even if the house is only in one spouse’s name, there are many times where the other spouse has to sign off on the deed at closing.