Real Estate – The High Cost of DIY Legal Work

Attempting to handle your own legal matters, such as property transactions, can be significantly riskier and more expensive in the long run than retaining an attorney from the start.

This risk was illustrated when our office was contacted to assist with a property sale. We discovered a lien on the property that stemmed from a previous, improperly terminated contract for deed.

The Issue: Years earlier, the owner had executed a contract for deed but terminated it using forms available online, without the benefit of legal assistance.

The Error: By handling the termination independently, the owner failed to follow the correct legal process necessary to extinguish the liens associated with the previous buyer.

The Consequence: The current owner became legally responsible for the former buyer's outstanding liens.

If an attorney had managed the initial contract termination, they would have ensured that the proper procedure was followed, correctly tying the liens to the previous buyers.