At our office, we usually spend a half hour during an initial call discussing general background information if a client is unfamiliar with the entire process. We will discuss how to work with brokers and use of buyer-brokers, preapproval for mortgages and the different types of mortgage lenders available. And we will discuss what you should do if, one Sunday afternoon, you find yourself at an open house and suddenly decide that it would make the perfect home for you. Don't wait until that final urge to make an offer before starting to look for an attorney. A well informed and well represented buyer is more likely to have a successful home-buying experience.
Attorneys handle real estate matters on either a flat fee basis or an hourly fee.
It is difficult to say how many hours may be involved as each transaction can have many variables. I could stretch and say that an average sale of a single family residence might take three hours of your lawyer's time, and an average purchase of a single family residence might take three to five hours time. Therefore, if you ask your attorney to quote a fixed, flat fee, they will probably base it on a higher end estimate. Condos, multi-family properties and new construction will involve greater amounts of time than an existing single family. With that said, you should discuss with your attorney the extent of legal services that you actually require.