Buying a Home
Boston Real Estate Attorney
Serving the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area Including:
Cambridge/Arlington, Massachusetts, Middlesex, Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk Counties.
Many details that buyers and sellers do not see as problems could jeopardize your peace of mind and your wallet. Ideally, you should consult with a attorney as soon as you know you are going to buy a house or put your house up for sale—even before you call in a real estate broker.
At the Joseph A. Lopisi Law Office in Arlington, Massachusetts, I have more than 40 years of experience providing comprehensive legal guidance and representation to individuals buying their first homes, from the free initial telephone consultation through the real estate closing.
Contact me today to discuss your rights as a home buyer.
Get a pre-approval letter from a lender for the maximum amount of money you are eligible to borrow before you begin viewing homes. This can be used as a bargaining tool with sellers to persuade them to accept an offer. Although an offer to purchase and purchase and sale agreements are frequently represented as “standard” or “forms,” they are not. Each one is a binding contract between a buyer and seller. There are dozens of so‑called “standard” forms and each has requirements that may help or hurt either party. Contact your Boston real estate attorney before you sign anything.
Since it is basically impossible for a attorney to protect a client when the client has already signed away their rights in a poorly drawn or harmful agreement, the only way to be fully protected is to have your attorney review any contract before you sign it.
If you are buying a home, I will consult with you about your goals, tackle financing issues, thoroughly examine and correct title issues, review or prepare documents and agreements, advise you on terms, arrange title insurance, attend your closing, and advocate on your behalf in any other issues regarding the purchase of your new home.
The closing must follow the exact provisions of the purchase and sale agreement, which is why the attorney’s prior involvement is so important. The attorneys compute the adjustments for taxes, fuel, and other expenses, and prepare a closing statement showing the amount owed by the buyer to the seller. The deed, mortgage, and other documents are inspected for accuracy and signatures. Both the buyer and seller sign agreements to reimburse the buyer’s bank for losses in connection with smoke detectors, lead paint, and other substances.
In addition to buyer and seller representation, I also represent numerous lenders, banks, and mortgage companies regarding loan transactions for residential purchases.
A buyer should have his or her own attorney. Attorneys are indispensable to any problem‑free real estate sale. Depending on what representation the usual parties (seller, buyer, banks) choose and how they elect to share the responsibilities, a attorney’s functions are critical. Trust my experience.