The purchase or sale of a home can be the biggest transactions of your life. You should obtain legal counsel as soon as you decide to go ahead with plans to buy or sell.

An early consultation with The Law Office of John L. Roberts of Longmeadow, Massachusetts can provide you with information on a wide range of issues that come up during the process of negotiating a Purchase and Sale Agreement. Your circumstances are unique, and you should be certain that you understand what your are signing.

Here's how we help clients who are buying or selling a home:

• We show you what an Offer to Purchase includes, and help you with negotiations.
• We review your Purchase and Sale Agreement and discuss your needs and concerns before you sign, including your time table for moving into your new home, or relocating from your current residence.
• We coordinate the homebuying/selling process with the lender, buyer, seller and broker.
• We can explain the income tax and property tax issues, and help you find answers to your questions.
• It's a standard practice in Western Massachusetts for the buyer's Attorney to represent the lender at the real estate closing. When you designate an Attorney for your closing, you are designating the Closing Agent who will prepare figures and documents for your lender. It is important to select an Attorney who will provide you with the level of service that you need and expect, just as you select a mortgage lender who will return your phone calls and respond to your needs.
• As your Title Examiner, we will research the property if you are planning to buy, and uncover any defects in the chain of title of the property going back 50 years.
• When this title research is completed for a home buyer, and any defects in the chain of title have been resolved, we provide title certification to the buyer and to the Lender, and to the Title Insurance Company that insures your good title to the property. Massachusetts Consumer Protection laws will protect you if you use an attorney to handle your purchase and mortgage transaction. The attorney who handles the closing makes sure that you have good title to the land. Massachusetts Consumer Protection law guarantees your right to this certification of title from the attorney who handles your mortgage transaction.
• If you are buying a home, we arrange for a Land Surveyor to travel to the property, and prepare an encroachment survey. This survey is prepared as soon as you have decided you want to go ahead with your real estate purchase. It is usually available for you to review several weeks before your closing.
• We work with you on each step of the buyer's checklist, or seller's checklist, to make sure your transaction runs smoothly. You can call us directly, anytime you have a question.