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Buying or selling a home in New Jersey involves a complex legal process with tons of paperwork, contracts, and research. For the average homebuyer—or even a real estate pro—the intricate ins and outs of NJ real estate law can be overwhelming. While you are not legally required to obtain an attorney for a real estate transaction in NJ, doing so is the best way to ensure you are not leaving yourself vulnerable to legal trouble. Real estate attorneys work for you to ensure you are getting the most out of your investment. Veitengruber Law is a real estate lawyer in Monmouth County, NJ. We have years of experience and knowledge in real estate law and a robust network of local real estate professionals. Do I need a real estate lawyer? Technically speaking, no. New Jersey law does not require individuals to retain a real estate attorney while buying or selling a home. While New Jersey does have the three-day attorney review period automatically built into the processing of the real estate contract, you are not obligated to utilize this period for the attorney review. Many folks buy or sell property in New Jersey without the help of an attorney. But there are a multitude of reasons why enlisting the service of an experienced real estate attorney is in your best interest and will result in a smoother experience. Real estate transactions are some of the most significant financial transactions the average person will likely make in their lifetime. This is a huge investment that impacts your life in major ways financially, legally, and personally. With so much at stake, working with an attorney can give you the best shot at protecting your investment. What are the risks of buying or selling without an attorney? So much can go wrong during a real estate transaction. Hidden defects with the home, title defects, financial troubles, intentional misrepresentations, and many other scenarios can threaten your investment. A knowledgeable attorney can work through these challenges while utilizing the law to protect your interests. When you go through a real estate transaction without the help of an attorney, you expose yourself to potential legal troubles and even fraud. Practiced real estate attorneys familiar with the local area can also help you steer clear of fraud, fake property listings, and shady deals. This can prevent significant personal and financial losses and help you avoid major legal headaches. What can a real estate attorney do? At Veitengruber Law, our clients utilize our real estate services for a multitude of things, including: Drafting, Reviewing, and Negotiating Contracts Typically, real estate agents provide a boilerplate contract for most real estate transactions. This contract is not specific to you, your needs, or the property. This standardized contract can leave buyers or sellers unprotected. It may not include particular clauses or additions unique to your situation and can better protect each party. Utilizing the three-day attorney review period allowed under NJ law to review the contract thoroughly is critical. Just because it is standardized does not mean you have to accept everything in the contract. An attorney can review the contract, make important changes, and help you negotiate an agreement that is more favorable. An attorney can help you add specific conditions to the contract that protect key aspects of the sale that are important to you. Keep in mind that real estate contracts are legally binding. You do not want to sign a contract that has not been reviewed by an attorney first. Some things a real estate attorney can negotiate to be added to a customized contract include: Inspection: Specifications concerning the inspection period and how defects will be handled Financing: Adding a financing contingency so buyers can back out if they do not have funds Appraisal: Including a provision allowing buyers to back out or re-negotiate in the event the home appraises for less than the list price Title: Making the contract contingent upon a clear title and protecting the buyer from any title issues Extras: Whatever items you want to be included or excluded from the sale can be listed explicitly in the contract Your real estate contract should be customized to protect you. A real estate lawyer can help you do that! Reduce the Risk of Lawsuits By working with a real estate attorney, buyers and sellers can limit their risk of a lawsuit. Sellers, especially, are legally required to disclose issues with the property. Failure to properly do so can result in a lawsuit down the road. A real estate attorney can identify areas in the contract where you may leave yourself vulnerable to these kinds of lawsuits. They will ensure you follow all disclosure rules and regulations to help you avoid making honest mistakes and limit liability. Negotiate Following Inspection It happens—the home you thought looked defect-free upon viewing is actually plagued by several expensive issues. This is why getting an inspection is such an important part of the home-buying process. Buyers who uncover issues during inspection will have a lot of big choices to make about how to proceed. An attorney can review the inspection report and help the buyer negotiate how to handle these defects with the seller and their agent. An experienced attorney can negotiate for concessions based on the defects uncovered. This can include lowering the price or negotiating with the seller to make repairs. Because sellers are not obligated to make repairs, a real estate attorney can give you the edge you need to save yourself a major headache and often a significant sum of money. Closing When you work with a real estate attorney, they can guide you through the often lengthy closing process. An attorney can make the experience stress-free and ensure all required documentation is in order and ready to go. If your closing needs to be delayed for any reason, a real estate attorney can help. If, upon your final walkthrough, you notice some significant issues, an attorney can defend your rights as a homebuyer and postpone closing until the issue is resolved. What instances may require a real estate attorney? Many real estate transactions happen without a real estate attorney—and many result in major legal issues. Working with a real estate attorney is always in your best interest, but more so in some more complex situations. Those dealing with divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, estate planning, marriage, loss of a spouse, or any other major life change may have more of a pressing need for the knowledgeable advice of a real estate attorney. Veitengruber Law is an experienced attorney with intricate knowledge of real estate law, foreclosure defense, and bankruptcy law. However, we also work in collaboration with some of the best real estate and legal professionals in the area. This collaborative relationship allows us to share our knowledge with other local pros and utilize their knowledge to protect our client's interests. No matter what circumstances you find yourself in, we can help you reach the finish line on your real estate goals, protect your investment, and get the most out of any real estate transaction. If you are looking for a real estate lawyer in Monmouth County, NJ, look no further—Veitengruber Law has you covered!

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Real estate contracts are fully binding legal documents intended to protect both parties throughout a real estate transaction. For a good reason, these contracts are difficult to get out of. Real estate transactions are typically some of the most high-stakes financial and legal processes most of us will ever go through. Having a contract establishes rules and expectations for the transaction to ensure things go smoothly and everyone follows the law. So, if you want to get out of a New Jersey real estate contract, you will need to work with an experienced lawyer who understands contract law as well as local real estate laws. Breaching a real estate contract can have serious, far-reaching financial and legal consequences. You do not want to break the contract without legal cause to do so. That said, an experienced attorney can help you find legitimate ways to get out of a real estate contract. Here are some of the ways an attorney can help you out of your contract after it is signed: 1. Attorney Review All real estate contracts in New Jersey are subject to the attorney review period. This begins once both parties have signed the contract and lasts three days. The intention of this review period is for both parties to have the chance to give the contact to their lawyer for review. Your real estate attorney may find issues with this contract upfront or advise you to add specific clauses and conditions to protect your interests throughout the transaction. It is possible to back out of the contract at any point during the attorney review period, which makes it one of the easiest ways to get out of a real estate contract. While you are not obligated to have an attorney review your contract during this time, it is advisable. Once the attorney review period is over, you must abide by whatever terms are laid out in the contract. 2. Breach of Terms Every real estate contract includes terms and conditions that must be met for the transaction to progress. The buyer and seller will have to meet specific requirements laid out in the contract. If one of the parties fails to uphold their end of the agreement, they could be considered in breach of the terms. This would allow the other party to get out of the contract through no legal fault of their own. Many of these terms come with due dates, which, if missed, can give you options to terminate a contract. For example, your contract states that the seller must perform a mold inspection by a certain date. The date comes and goes, and the seller has not performed the inspection. This could give the buyer the opportunity to back out of the contract completely. Typically, being behind on dates by a few days is not a deal breaker for either party, and the sale continues to progress without incident. But if you are looking for an out, these dates could be your key. 3. Unfulfilled Contingencies Some contingencies are added to most real estate contracts. These are items on top of the typical boilerplate terms and conditions that must be addressed for a real estate transaction to go through. Buyers and sellers can establish their own contingencies. While you can dispute contingencies prior to signing the contract, once a contract is signed, these contingencies must be met for the sale to go through. If one party is unable to or unwilling to hold up their end of the contingency agreement, they could be considered in breach of contract. So, for example, the buyer can include a contingency that if a home inspection uncovers any significant issues, the deal is off. If the home inspection reveals major repairs, structural damage, or other costly maintenance that was not previously disclosed, the buyer can back out. Typical contingencies include financing, inspections, and even the timing of purchasing or selling other property. Whatever the contingency is, once agreed to, it is legally binding for both parties. Failure to uphold the contingency is an opportunity to end the contract. A good attorney will be able to review the contingencies in your contract to determine if you have any grounds for backing out based on unfulfilled contingencies. Once a contract has been signed, both parties are legally bound to its terms. If you have already signed a real estate contract and need to get out, a real estate attorney can help. Veitengruber Law has an experienced real estate attorney on staff with a deep knowledge of NJ real estate laws. We can help you work through the complexities of getting out of your NJ real estate contract.

Do you need a real estate niche to become a successful New Jersey realtor? Many real estate agents avoid narrowing down to a specific niche. New agents starting out often take any work that comes their way and attempt to become a jack of all trades. They fear boxing themselves in, missing out on some opportunities, and making their client base too narrow. However, finding and perfecting a niche as a real estate agent is actually a fantastic way to ensure your success in the industry. A niche is what sets you apart from other real estate agents. Developing a niche is necessary to define your brand and choose a marketing direction. What kind of real estate experience are you offering? Who is your ideal client? What can you do that no other real estate agent can? When you define your niche, you are better able to offer a memorable message about your offerings that will stay fresh in the minds of potential clients. Deciding on a unique niche will help you streamline your marketing so you can reach the right audience. Here are six categories you should consider while developing your real estate brand: 1. Local Areas or Neighborhoods Deciding to focus on one geographic area is one way to develop a strong niche. Depending on the population density or geographic scope of the area, you may find it makes sense to specialize in one county, town, or even a single neighborhood. To be an expert in one geographic area means you will spend time developing deep connections with other industry professionals in that area. You may want to consider an area or community close to where you live to ensure easier networking. There are some things to consider when choosing this niche. For one, if you do not plan to live near your focus area for long, it may be a waste of time to develop such deep ties to one location only to cease business there. You will also be more vulnerable to competition from other real estate agents specializing in your chosen geographic area. To combat this, you should focus on other aspects of your work that set you apart. 2. Customer Type Developing a specialty for a specific clientele is another way to set yourself apart as a real estate agent. There are so many unique groups of people looking for real estate professionals that you can really make your customer type as general or specific as you want. Some examples include seniors looking to downsize, Spanish-speaking clients, LGBTQ+ clients, first-time homeowners, luxury real estate, etc. Targeting one of these client groups will help you grow your business in a direction that interests you. Just because you choose one demographic to focus on does not mean you will never take on clients outside of that demographic again. You will, of course, likely still work with plenty of other clients. However, you can focus your marketing and branding efforts on attracting the attention of your niche clientele. This not only gives your business direction, but makes you an expert in providing an excellent experience of service for your clients. 3. Property Type Specializing in a property type will likely depend on the kind of clients you want to serve and the location in which you do business. You can specialize in more general property types like condos or multi-family properties, or you can specialize in more specific property types like waterfront homes or luxury homes. Clients looking for a particular property will feel that they are in good hands if they work with an expert with demonstrated experience in those properties. You can run into issues with this niche, however. Markets change and some property types may be trending more popular than others for various different reasons. A big enough market change could force you to abandon your property-type niche to remain in business. Combining this niche with another is another great way to ensure you are developing a lasting brand. 4. Experience Level Real estate is a career filled with a lot of ups and downs. Market volatility, housing crises, home value shifts, price fluctuations, interest rate hikes—the experienced real estate agent has survived it all. Seasoned agents should absolutely be marketing themselves as the expert real estate professionals they are. You don't just want to show potential clients how many years you have been in business; you want to portray the depth of your knowledge and why you have been so successful in your area specifically. Sharing your story with your clients gives them insight into your history, experience, success, and how your specific service can help them achieve their real estate goals. Even if you are relatively early in your real estate career, showcasing your triumphs can help clients see the quality of service you provide. 5. Individual Skills So, what if you're a new real estate agent without the years of experience to market yourself to potential clients? Then, defining the unique personal qualities you possess that set you apart from other agents will be very important in your marketing. Even if other agents have the knowledge and experience, they do not have the unique characteristics that make you stand out. Make sure you choose characteristics that appeal to the type of client you are interested in attracting. For example, you can say you are driven and persistent to convey that you get the job done efficiently and promptly. Whatever characteristics you emphasize in your marketing, ensure you are authentic. The clients that connect with you will appreciate the skills and characteristics you emphasize in your branding. 6. Specific Industry Expertise Real estate transactions are so complex and varied that there is an extensive list of areas in which you could develop expertise. Specific industry expertise goes beyond the individual characteristics you possess or the region, community, customer, or property you specialize in. Your industry expertise could be in negotiations, home staging, contracts, financing options, construction, and local maintenance/remodeling regulations. Whatever specific aspect of the real estate deal you have a special knack for, you need to advertise that. If you are entering the real estate industry from another career, think about how the skills and knowledge you learned in your previous job can make you a more powerful real estate agent. Especially if you are from an industry with close ties with real estate, like banking, you can advertise these skills to set yourself apart from the competition. Make sure you choose skills, knowledge, and experience that will represent you well to your target audience. Veitengruber Law is a full-service real estate law firm with years of experience working closely with successful real estate professionals in New Jersey. We understand what it takes for a real estate agent to thrive in our area and are always looking to build partnerships with other industry professionals. Veitengruber Law specializes in property laws, local regulations, contracts, short sale negotiations, mortgage modifications, and foreclosure defense. Reach out to us today to discuss your goals as a New Jersey realtor; let’s work together to help our clients achieve the dream!