One dream that most people share is the dream to one day own your own home.

Instead of paying a landlord every month, many would rather own a place.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. But that is why ensuring you get an excellent real estate lawyer is essential.

Here’s how.

First, remember the two Rs: reviews and recommendations.

The latter always trumps the former.

Reading reviews of lawyers from review websites and Google will give you an idea of what this lawyer’s previous customers thought about them.

However, be careful! Reviews may be old or be about lawyers who no longer work for that law firm.

Or perhaps the law firm has just gone downhill in recent years.

It’s also not impossible that they have paid people to write good reviews – people do!

If you know any friends or family who were once in the situation you are in now, ask them if they know any law firms.

“First-hand knowledge is better than stars from strangers.”

Once you’ve found somebody who catches your eye, it’s essential to ensure they are legitimate.

Remember, if somebody has good reviews, they may have paid for them.

Your real estate lawyer must be licensed.

Never use legal services from anybody who doesn’t have a license! If a lawyer doesn’t have permission, they are not real estate lawyers but con artists.

Contact your state’s Bar Association to find out if somebody has the correct license.

They will be able to provide you with a list of attorneys that specialize in real estate law.

Once you’ve found a few companies and checked that they are legitimate and seem popular, the next step is to make a consultation.

Usually (although not always), you can tell whether somebody has your interest at heart, or your wallet in their mind, by meeting them face-to-face and talking.

During your consultation, make sure to ask any questions that you might have. Nobody will have any issues with this unless they have something to hide!

It is also an excellent opportunity to make sure you get on with the attorney as a person. Working with somebody you don’t get on with is not helpful!

Fees and payments

The final step is to clarify the cost and the payment structure. Again, the consultation is the best place to do this.

What you don’t want to do is discover that you owe money that you were not expecting to have to pay.

So make sure your real estate lawyer is clear about how much you owe when you should pay each amount, and under what conditions you owe each.

It will ensure that your money better spends on your home.

To achieve the dream of owning your own house, the wise thing to do is to get in touch with a local real estate lawyer.

However, if you choose a dodgy one, the consequences could be very costly. That’s why it’s important to pick wisely.