Add a Lawyer to Your Team

Buying a home involves piles of legal documents. You need someone to translate the ‘legalese’ and ensure your best interests are protected.

Finding a good lawyer

There are lots of good lawyers out there. Ask your friends or people at work. REALTORS® will happily give you the names of several good lawyers. They can’t legally recommend just one, but they’ll only refer lawyers experienced in real estate. Be sure you ask how they structure their fees and get an estimate of the other legal costs you can expect.

• Law Society of Alberta

How your lawyer will help

There are many, many legal steps to transferring ownership of land from one person to another. Even if pitfalls like fraud, government legislation, zoning issues or unpaid taxes don’t come up, your lawyer will more than earn their pay by making the legal transfer of the home a smooth one.

Don’t be scared of your lawyer. They are here to help you. Ask questions if you don’t understand anything. Explaining legal jargon in plain language is a big part of their job.

Next step: Make an Offer

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