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Grand Rapids
Real Estate Law

We work with residential & commercial real estate

Real Estate Lawyer

Providing prompt, personal and cost-effective legal services to handle all types of real estate transactions

LEDFORD & ASSOCIATES

A Real Estate Lawyer With Experience

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The Grand Rapids real estate law firm of Ledford & Associates, has been providing prompt, personal and cost-effective legal services to handle all types of real estate transactions and disputes.

We work with residential homebuyers and sellers as well as commercial real estate clients, including commercial builders, housing developers, condominium associations, real estate brokers and landlords.

Whether you are the owner of a building trying to negotiate with a lender or a commercial tenant trying to negotiate with a landlord, knowing your rights is imperative. If you are seeking assistance with completing the purchase or sale of a home or commercial property, or you need aggressive legal representation in court to resolve a real estate dispute, a Ledford & Associates real estate attorney has the experience you need to reach your goal.

Our Grand Rapids commercial and residential real estate lawyer has the experience and can assist with the following real estate services:
  • Drafting or review of purchase and sales agreements - The first step in the process of transferring ownership of a property is a well-considered purchase and sale agreement based on an accepted offer. We will help you understand your legal obligations and rights with each term or contingency in a purchase and sale agreement.
  • Supervising the real estate closing transaction - The last thing anyone involved in a real estate transaction wants is a complication at the closing. In addition to confirming that the deed and finances are exchanged, we work proactively to resolve who pays taxes, recording fees, or any outstanding liens.
  • Drafting documents for condominium conversion - As the members of a condo association change over time, so do the priorities and rules. It’s important to keep documentation up to date for when new owners enter the picture. We have to make sure that all expectations are clear and there are sensible guidelines in place.
  • Drafting or review of commercial construction contracts - Ledford & Associates can help you plan for contingencies and avoid costly battles, rather than just react when things go wrong.
  • Drafting or review of commercial lease agreements - Our office can assist you in negotiating the letters of intent, lease agreement terms, preparing amendments and renewals, and ensuring your interests are protected.
  • Evaluating title, clearing title, transferring title and resolving title disputes - Ledford & Associates has experience working closely with title officers to avoid potential liability. We can assist you in reviewing the preliminary title report for your property and clearing the title before the close of escrow.
If your transactions have led to your need for legal assistance, we can guide you through the real estate litigation process as well.

Real Estate Attorney

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a “Real Estate Agent” and a “Real Estate Attorney”?

Basically, a real estate agent is a licensed professional with limited knowledge of real estate law who connects buyers and sellers (usually through the MLS system), provides their clients support during the home buying process, and seeks to help their clients, who are sometimes both the buyer and the seller, make an informed decision. Real estate agents are not permitted to provide legal advice and their involvement is heavily weighted towards the front-end of the transaction (helping buyers and sellers find each other). 

A real estate attorney, on the other hand, depending upon your desired level of involvement, can assist with every aspect of the transaction once a buyer or seller has been identified. We can assist you with any of the documentation in the buy/sell transaction in addition to providing legal advice throughout the real estate buy/sell process. As your real estate attorney, we can be as involved or uninvolved as you, the client, so desire, and can prepare and/or review all of the documents that are signed at any stage of the transaction and can supervise the closing of the real estate purchase and all documents prepared by a title company and signed by you at the closing.

Do I need a Real Estate Attorney?

In Michigan, a real estate attorney is not “required.” However, because a real estate agent is usually not an attorney, nor, usually, is the title company’s closing agent, only an attorney can provide you with the legal advice you need concerning any aspect of the real estate sale (whether it be a residential sale, a commercial real estate sale, a land contract or the sale even of vacant property). A real estate attorney is highly recommended in any real estate sale where there may be any questionable or complex situations, like a foreclosure, a short sale, a land contract, a lease with option to buy, seller financing (such as where the seller takes a promissory note from the buyer) and more.

When should I hire a Real Estate Attorney?

You should hire a Real Estate Attorney before your purchase contract is signed. After the agreement has been signed, there may be less that an attorney can do to fix any problems that may arise if they weren’t properly addressed in the contract.

What else can a Real Estate Attorney do?

A Real Estate Attorney can also be of assistance in the event that the seller begins dragging their feet. Sometimes a seller will delay a sale as they look for better offers. A Real Estate Attorney may be able to help you through a properly worded demand letter, negotiations, communications with the opposing party’s agents and other professionals, or by filing legal actions to speed the process or block other potential buyers

Real Estate Cash Sales

When a buyer doesn’t need financing (e.g., a mortgage or other loan), it is a “cash sale”. In cash sales, banks and other lending institutions are less involved, or not involved at all, in the transaction, and there is generally less paperwork involved. However, in cash sales, a Real Estate Attorney is essential in order to protect the interest of the client, whether the seller or the buyer. In cash sales, properly prepared documents are critical, and a Real Estate Attorney is best positioned, educated and experienced to provide you with important and thorough advice so that you can make your best decision before you are locked into an agreement, and through the agreement and the entire transaction, how to best structure the buy/sell process in order to help you reach your goals at closing and even afterwards.
Contact our law firm online to schedule your initial consultation with an experienced Grand Rapids Real Estate Attorney
or call us directly at (616) 257-3300.
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We have a professional staff working day in and day out to represent our clients and make your voice heard.
Ledford & Associates
3181 Prairie St SW
Suite 106
Grandville, MI 49418
(616) 257-3300
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