What questions to ask a Real Estate Lawyer?

[Scott Graham]

Hi BP!

Tomorrow I have an opportunity to meet with a Real Estate Attorney for the first time. I am in the process of acquiring my first rental property and want to have a list of questions prepared for him. 

What questions should I ask?!  What questions do you always find yourself asking a Real Estate Attorney??

Best,

Scott

[John Warren]

Hi Scott,

Are you buying this in an LLC? This is a huge, never ending debate here on BP if you want to research it. Is this a standard deal off the MLS? Do you have leases/estoppel certificates for all the tenants?

I don't personally have tons of questions for my attorney, but I use him all the time for deals in my target area (Chicago western suburbs). If you are looking to establish a relationship, you might ask how the attorney bills. My attorney gives me a flat fee, but a lot of attorneys may bill hourly. I learned this the hard way when I was billed over $300 an hour for writing emails and making phone calls!