What the heck is Lawyers Realty Group?

Lawyers Realty Group is a real estate brokerage owned and operated by a real estate lawyer.

Wait, back up – what is a brokerage?

A brokerage is a company that facilitates the buying, selling, and renting of real property (think: houses and land).

So you are just like Long & Foster or Coldwell Banker?

Well, I wouldn’t say that (more on that in future blog posts), but we can accomplish the same results, usually in a more efficient and knowledgeable manner.

But why would I need a lawyer to buy or sell a house?

The best answer came from another lawyer I know – Why WOULDN’T you want your real estate broker to be a real estate lawyer? There tend to be two types of people regarding lawyers. The first group gets a lawyer before they “need” one (i.e, before they are in a tough spot). The second group gets a lawyer after they “need” one (i.e., – the S has already hit the fan). If you want to buy a house, having a real estate lawyer can be beneficial.

Yeah, but doesn’t that presuppose something is going to go wrong?

Yes, yes it does. Clearly you are in Group 2.

OK, so because you are a lawyer you can make sure nothing goes wrong if I want to buy or sell a house?

Absolutely NOT. But I am pretty qualified to spot the bad things before they happen. I don’t have a magic bullet, but I can tell you when the gun is loaded. I am refraining from giving examples on the blog — too complicated and too many secrets. If you want examples, give me a call/email.

“Give me a call/email” – isn’t that just a way for you to obtain information from prospective buyers & sellers just like those stupid sign-in sheets at Open Houses?

Yes. Yes it is. You got me. But I’m also not going to throw out everything I know on the internet. The issues that come up seem to be the same 8-10 things over and over again. This is a for-profit activity. Coca-Cola isn’t putting their recipe on the internet either. Cut me some slack here.

OK, but isn’t real estate all about sales? Don’t you need to be a great salesperson?

Well, if you want someone to talk you into buying or selling a house, I am not the person for you. Heck, I think 2004-2008 taught the entire global economy that probably isn’t a good idea. In my opinion, the house “is what it is. “ If you need me to SELL you on it, you probably shouldn’t be buying it. We aren’t talking about a $300 pair of sunglasses or a new smart phone. Real estate is hundreds of thousands of dollars of a sticky asset. I become valuable when we write/review an offer and start negotiating. If you haven’t noticed, the entire MLS is disseminated on the internet. Buyers and sellers see the same houses for sale that I do – there aren’t any secrets on that end. So, in my opinion, the real estate market really is an open market and will operate accordingly. I think the notion that brokers/agents “sell” homes died when the MLS was forced to put the listing on the internet. The modern consumer has too much information.

So, you are saying that you will seem pretty useless until we actually start negotiating?

Yes. And while I don’t really care for that phrasing, it probably will seem that way. How about this – I will become exceedingly helpful upon the commencement of negotiations. “Helpful” sounds way better than “useless.”

But isn’t that kind of how Redfin works?

Yes. But when it comes time to make a deal, you get a real estate lawyer, not a Redfin agent.