At Counts Law Firm, we offer a cost-effective alternative to the traditional commission-based real estate process by focusing on the critical legal aspects of your transaction. Our legal services protect your interests while helping you save significantly compared to agent fees.

Why Choose Us?

Even with recent changes in real estate laws, ambiguity remains around paying the buyer’s agent commission, and in many cases, you’ll still be expected to cover these costs. For example, a 5% commission on a $1 million property amounts to $50,000. By contrast, our fees are significantly lower. With us, you receive expert legal guidance while keeping more of your hard-earned money.

Our role is to handle the essential legal work, such as drafting purchase agreements, negotiating terms, reviewing counteroffers, and ensuring that all legal documentation is properly prepared and reviewed. Sellers can manage tasks like property listings and showings themselves, further reducing costs.

Our Real Estate Legal Services

• Purchase and Sale Agreements: We draft and negotiate real estate purchase offers and agreements, ensuring your legal interests are protected from start to finish.
• Counter Offers and Addendums: Whether you’re the buyer or seller, we handle the legal analysis and drafting of counteroffers and addendums to ensure smooth negotiations.
• Seller Representation: For sellers, we provide legal support for preparing disclosures, handling necessary paperwork, and guiding you through the negotiation process.
• Buyer Representation: For buyers, we review all necessary documents, help draft contingency waivers, and provide legal advice to ensure a smooth transaction.

Retainer-Based Structure

At Counts Law Firm, we work on a retainer basis for real estate transactions, ensuring transparency and predictability in legal costs. The initial retainer is $6,000, which includes 10 hours of legal services. This retainer covers services such as:

• Initial consultation
• Drafting the purchase agreement
• Negotiation and review of counteroffers
• Legal review of all relevant transaction documents

Should the transaction become more complex, requiring additional negotiations or further legal work, additional hours are billed at $600 per hour. Even with extended hours, the overall cost remains significantly lower than traditional real estate agent commissions, particularly for high-value properties.

If the initial offer falls through or escrow doesn’t close, the same retainer and hourly rate apply for subsequent properties.

Avoid Excessive Commission Fees

By representing yourself in the sale process and handling tasks such as showings and listings, you can save thousands in commission fees. Our legal team steps in to manage the negotiation and paperwork, ensuring the transaction is legally sound without the burden of traditional real estate agent costs.

What We Don’t Do

While we provide comprehensive legal services for real estate transactions, there are some services we do not offer, which are typically handled by licensed real estate agents or brokers:

• Escrow Coordination: We handle the legal documentation related to escrow but do not coordinate escrow services. You will need to work with a licensed escrow company to facilitate closing, including title coordination and disbursement.
• Listing Properties on MLS: We do not list properties on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) or other real estate platforms. This is a function reserved for licensed real estate agents.
• Marketing and Property Showings: We do not handle property marketing, host open houses, or coordinate showings. These tasks are managed by the seller or a real estate agent.
• Buyer Search and Property Tours: We do not assist buyers in searching for properties or scheduling tours. Our focus is on the legal aspects after you’ve identified a property.
• Loan Brokerage and Financing: We do not arrange or broker loans for buyers or sellers. You will need to work directly with your loan officer or broker for financing.

Navigating the Complexities of Real Estate Transactions

In California, attorneys can represent buyers and sellers in real estate transactions without holding a real estate license. While we don’t handle front-end activities like listing properties or hosting open houses, we focus on the legal aspects, including reviewing offers, preparing disclosures, and ensuring compliance with all regulations.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective, legally sound alternative to traditional real estate agents, let Counts Law Firm guide you through the complexities of your next real estate transaction.

Call Counts Law Firm today at (626) 463-7300 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a real estate attorney.