Real Estate

West Michigan Real Estate Lawyers

Should I contact a lawyer if I am buying or selling real estate?  How do I get approval from the township or city that I live in to divide up my land?  Should I use forms on the internet to buy, sell, lease or mortgage real estate?  The attorneys at Dykema Law Offices, P.C. can assist you in answering these questions and preparing and/or reviewing your real estate documents.

Buying or Selling Real Estate

Even if you are represented by a realtor, it is a good idea to have an attorney prepare and/or review your Purchase Agreement, Seller's Disclosure, Title Commitment and other closing documents.  The realtor involved with your sale or purchase must have a license to sell real estate, but, unless he or she is also an attorney, he or she cannot and should not give you any legal advice about the documents, which you are asked to sign.  Also, remember that the realtor is interested in making sure that the sale does close with the highest purchase price possible, because the realtor will receive a commission, based on the purchase price. 

Land Division

If you decide to divide or split your real estate to sell to a neighbor or other purchaser, you must submit a Land Division Application to the township or city in which your real estate is located for approval.  You must provide the township or city with a survey of the property before the proposed split and a survey of the property after the proposed split.  You also must include proof of payment of real property taxes and any Easement documents that affect your real estate.
 You may decide to develop a large piece of real estate into a plat or site condominium project.  A plat (public streets in the project) and  site condominium development (private streets in the project) require approvals from the township or city in which the real estate is located and from several county and state agencies.  The experienced attorneys at Dykema Law Offices, P.C. would be happy to help you pursue these government approvals and prepare the Restrictions for a plat or the Master Deed, Condominium Bylaws, and other condominium documents for a site condominium project.

Internet Documents

Remember that real estate documents which are posted on the internet are often not prepared by attorneys and are in a general, "canned" form, which does not take the specifics of your real estate transaction into consideration.  These forms generally do not include instructions or explain the legal ramifications of filling in the blanks and signing the form.  Very often, these internet forms do not include language about how to enforce your rights under the contract.  It may be difficult for you to file litigation or collect the money owed to you under the terms of the contract.  The attorneys at Dykema Law Offices, P.C. would be happy to meet with you to discuss the terms of your real estate transaction and prepare and/or review your real estate documents.