Real estate lawyers serve many purposes and can help their clients buy and sell properties with ease. Whenever you need to hire one, be assured that Calgary real estate lawyers take their jobs seriously, and will work alongside you to make the best out of your case and attend to your best interests as much as possible.
It takes proactivity and understanding to find a good lawyer, and some people will be luckier than others and find the best match on the first try. However, to not risk playing with odds and finding yourself in a tough spot with your legal team in the future, it’s best to get familiarised with the process of hiring a real estate lawyer.
Recommendations
The first step to hiring a lawyer is to find one. To begin your search, you may simply ask your friends and family for recommendations: the chance is that they already had to hire a real estate lawyer at some point, and can provide you with a few phone numbers.
During your conversations with your social circle, you can inquire about their experiences with their lawyers in Calgary. Most people will be honest and disclose things that went wrong and things that were marvellous in their process of buying or selling a property. You can use this insight to gather more information not only about your options for a representative but also about what to expect from your lawyer.
After getting the contacts of known lawyers, you may call or email them, and it is a good practice to inform who gave you these references. Briefly describe your case and what you are looking for, and ask them to explain their services.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to sign a contract right away. If you are still uncertain about who to hire, you may continue your search while leaving some doors open to you.
Internet
The second best place to look for a real estate lawyer in Calgary is the internet. A simple google search is going to give you countless law firm websites to browse, allowing you to make better comparisons.
On the websites, you can check all of the areas of practice that the lawyers represent, and what exactly they do. Some lawyers choose their clients based on the type of case and what party they would be representing, so pay attention to that. For example, some firms will only help buyers to purchase their new property, but won’t accept cases from sellers.
You may also want to look for the lawyers’ social media, as many professionals will keep an updated feed with their activities and news regarding their areas of practice. So if you want to make sure that one of your potential lawyers is truly an expert, you really need to take a look at what they write on their website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
The open web is a great tool for a multitude of reasons, but especially because you can find reviews from clients about their former lawyers. To be extra careful when hiring a real estate lawyer, you can see what other people are talking about them online, and make your own conclusions about whether they are the best choice for you or not.
Ask Questions
When you finally contact a few lawyers, you need then to choose one by scheduling an initial meeting with them. This first encounter will be essential for you to assess how comfortable you are with your options, and which one gave you a better sense of confidence—that is, who among your contacts you felt knew what they were doing, and treated you better?
At the end of the day, the most important feature a lawyer in any area needs to have is being able to establish transparent and trustworthy communication with their client. No one likes to stay in the dark during such an important process as buying or selling real estate, so it is vital that your lawyer can talk to you clearly about your case.
During this meeting, you must ask them a few questions that will be the foundation of your relationship with them. Begin with the basics: what kind of services do they offer? How many people are in their legal team? How long have they been working with real estate? What are the steps for buying or selling properties with them?
This will all provide you with their background, but you will need more. You should also make some inquiries about your own situation, such as if they see any weaknesses in your case that could compromise your goals.
After it is all set and done, there is one last topic to address: pricing. You need to be sure of how much you are willing to pay for the offered services and compare it to all of your lawyer options’ compensations. It is important to notice that real estate will often come accompanied by governmental and third-party fees that will not be included in the law firm’s proposal.
Third-Party Contacts
Experienced lawyers tend to collect a list of contacts that can be useful for their daily practices and that can enhance their clients’ experiences. In the case of real estate, you can check if the law firms you are looking into have any partnerships with third-party companies that offer, for example, inspections for your new home, or that can maybe help you list your property for sale.
Having a lawyer who has a wide range of contacts can save you not only money but also time since you will not be the one searching for reliable companies to work with. If you find lawyers like this, you may want to put them on the top of your list to hire.
The entire process of hiring a real estate lawyer in Calgary should not take too long. From asking your friends for references to signing a contract, you can only gain experience and shape your expectations regarding your case and the kind of lawyer you wish to hire. Most professionals will be very clear with you in your initial meeting, and you will learn everything you need to know about their work—so that you can compare it with your other options and find your best match. In the end, it is all worth your time.