When to Call a RE Lawyer
| By:
Fellow GDREIA Members
When to Call a RE Lawyer
by Larry Hudson
The time to see a real estate lawyer about a contract question is before, not after, you sign on the dotted line. So said attorney Derrick Strahorn, who advises clients on real estate matters, during an appearance at Greater Dayton REIA’s First Wednesday meeting for March (3/1/2017). Strahorn, who has been a member of Greater Dayton REIA for “longer than I can remember,” told the story of a client who waited too long to ask an important legal question. The client was purchasing a property on a lease-option, and after years of paying on schedule set up a closing to pay the balance of the contract amount and complete the purchase. The seller refused to allow the closing. Was there anything a lawyer could do to help? No, Strahorn had to inform his client, since the buyer had failed to give the seller timely written notice of intent to complete the purchase. “The requirement was right there in the contract,” Strahorn said. “By the time my client sought help, it was too late.”