Anyone know any real estate attorneys for a private sale between a seller and buyer?

[pokepud3]

Hi,
So I’m interested in buying the condo I’m living in, and the owner is considering selling it. We’d like to bypass the realtors but still got the paperwork to go through, is there anyone who has experience with this and the associated closing costs as well as lawyer costs for all the paper work?

Also any recommendations on a lawyer, or someone who could file the paperwork and anything else that’s related? Thanks in advance.

[sdsurfer]

You’d rather work with an attorney than a realtor? Wow. I think it’s insane that people have that much distrust of realtors to prefer an attorney. There are a lot of good realtors out there if you ask me and they only get paid at the close of escrow vs. an attorney you have to pay just to meet with.

You might want to just find a good escrow officer and title rep to help with the paperwork.

I’d personally just find a realtor and negotiate on the commission a bit since you already have the property. Maybe get an appraisal on the value unless that has already been agreed upon.

[DataAgent]

If you’ve worked out all the details with the owner, you don’t need an attorney or realtor. Just hire an escrow company to do all the paperwork. They will tell you what details you need to have worked out. You’ll save thousands of dollars putting the deal together on your own.

I’ve personally worked with Heritage Escrow and Elite Escrow. Both are excellent companies. But don’t expect any escrow company to negotiate for you. You need to have the deal completely baked.

[FlyerInHi]

I really don’t see why you need a realtor or attorney.

Data Agent is right, the escrow company/title company will take care of it. If there are problems with title, the title company will not issue a policy. Simple as that.
And you need a title company anyway — First American, Ticor, Fidelity… sometime escrow and tile are separate, especially in SD, but the title company can handle the escrow also.

If you’re not familiar with the process, the realtors are seller and buyer agents; escrow is the intermediary that handle the funds and recording of the deed. Title is the Insurance company that issues the title policy to protect the buyer in case there’s a problem.

Since seller and buyer found each other already, you don’t need Realtors. In the West Coast, escrow/title handle the transaction. On the East Coast, an attorney handles the escrow. Just regional variations and traditions.
So in San Diego, for a typical transaction, you don’t need an attorney.

I also like Heritage Escrow.

[gzz]

When I did this I had a mortgage broker (who I did not use to get the mortgage) do the sale documents and disclosures for $1500 (split 50/50) and the title/escrow company do the rest for their normal fees.

[Author]

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