For most people, residential real estate undertakings are major life events, involving weighty financial and emotional decisions. Whether you are seeking a larger space for your growing family, downsizing, or relocating for job-related or other reasons, moving your home is a significant endeavor.
This is a time when you need the services provided by a skilled real estate attorney. If you are on Staten Island, in the New York City area, or East Brunswick, New Jersey, contact Merlino & Gonzalez for excellent legal advice and representation. Our lawyers are dedicated to assisting our residential real estate clients in all aspects of the real estate process, including:
- Negotiations and transactions
- Mortgage approvals
- Title and lien searches
- Home inspections
- Foreclosures
- Construction contracts
- Lease reviews and negotiations
- Closings
- Contract disputes between buyer and seller or between landlord and tenant
We are prepared to help you in any way we can by drafting and reviewing documents, interacting with various interested parties and their attorneys, and negotiating in your best interests. Contacting us at the beginning of your residential real estate journey is a wise and practical move since we can see to it that the steps you take are efficient and effective and that you avoid pitfalls you may not be aware of.
Buying and/or Selling a Home Is a Complicated Process
Exciting and energizing, for sure, but likely it will also be challenging. In addition to packing up, decluttering, and arranging for the big move, there are hundreds of details to be addressed.
There are several variables to be considered when you dip your toe into the waters of residential real estate, such as:
- The real estate market
- Property taxes
- Local shopping, services, schools, etc.
- Zoning restrictions
Our capable real estate attorneys have been through all of this many times before, so we are well-positioned to advise you and help you navigate.
Depending on whether you are planning to rent, lease, or purchase a house, apartment, co-op, condominium, or townhouse, you may be dealing with a co-op board, a landlord, a contractor, a termite inspector, a surveyor, a title search company or a combination of these. If this sounds stressful, that’s because it is. This is the reason having a competent, empathic real estate attorney is so important.
Due Diligence: an Ounce of Prevention
Many buyers or sellers or renters new to the real estate scene realize in hindsight what they should have done more to prevent future problems. When you work with our knowledgeable attorneys you will have the advantage of no longer being a first-timer — since you have us as a backup.
Before drafting a contract of sale, for example, we will help you do whichever of the following is appropriate:
- Arrange for a home inspection and termite inspection
- Review current surveys, engineering reports, zoning reports, and certificates of occupancy
- Order a title search
- Arrange for homeowners’ insurance
- Review condominium/cooperative board minutes
- Review condo/co-op financials
Our goal for you is the same as our goal for our own families: to make sure you are getting a good deal, that there are no unobservable flaws in the property, and that your investment in your new home is protected.
Closings
While you may soon be opening the door to your new home, you will have to go through a closing first. The closing is the culmination of all the previous research, careful consideration, inspections, and negotiations. By the time we get to your closing, almost everything important has been decided. Our residential real estate attorney will have met all the deadlines and closed all the loopholes.
Nonetheless, though the closing may seem mostly ceremonial, involving signing your name numerous times, this is the meeting that will mean you have crossed the finish line, finalizing the deal. Our real estate attorney will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly and that any last-minute issues are promptly resolved.
Leases
Although leasing property is generally much less complex than buying it, leases are legal contracts, which is why it is essential to have such agreements studied by your attorney. What seems to be a small detail or mistake now may, under certain circumstances, bode a catastrophe. With our attorney on the job, ambiguities will be eliminated and misunderstandings will be prevented.
Avoiding Evictions and Foreclosures
As your attorneys, we want to see you happily settled in your new home and we will do everything possible to keep you from defaulting on your lease or mortgage payments. Having us go over all the financial details before you sign any documents will protect you from taking on more debt than you can handle.
Contact Our Proficient Residential Real Estate Attorneys Now
Residential real estate searches and arrangements can be overwhelming. No matter how adventurous you feel, you want to be assured that your course of action will be beneficial to you and your family. Contact the talented real estate lawyers at Merlino & Gonzalez and let our caring professionals support you and protect your interests.