Real estate is serious business in Texas. Stakes are high, and transactions are incredibly complex.
You want to make sure you have all the information necessary before you start closing your deals, but where do you start? What do you do if an unforeseen situation arises after everyone signs on the dotted line?
Two sides of real estate law
One look at the FindLaw starting page for real estate law in Texas should show you that there are almost limitless types of cases within this general category. Believe it or not, most issues can fit into one of two general subcategories: transactions and disputes.
Sometimes, one item leads to another. For example, an attempted sale might lead to a property line dispute, which leads to a sale of a section of land. That, in turn, might enable the original, intended sale.
Transactions versus disputes
Even though disputes and transactions intersect often, they are very different areas of law. They demand different skill sets, different knowledge and different types of experience from your real estate attorney.
If your lawyer focuses on transactions — especially commercial transactions — you should expect keen attention to detail, deep knowledge of regulations and a propensity for in-depth research. Those who focus on real estate disputes are often skilled negotiators, investigators and litigators.
Success through perspective and planning
Your attorney will probably use dispute-resolution experience to predict and prevent various conflicts during the early stages of real estate transactions. Many also use their knowledge of transactions to efficiently resolve disputes.
Just like the legal processes, the legal practices often interconnect until they seem like a single category — at least if you are not a member of the profession. To an experienced real estate lawyer, every element is clear and discrete.
