“I’ve been practicing real estate law since 2004 and have developed numerous relationships w/Realtors for both Sellers and Buyers throughout the Chicagoland area. That I have been fortunate to receive referrals throughout my 17 years of practicing as a real estate lawyer from various local realtors working w/both Buyers and Sellers.
Since my first referral I have always taken care to remind the potential client that he or she were under no obligation to choose my office for legal representation. That “you are the boss, choose ANY attorney YOU feel comfortable with, NOT who your Realtor recommends – Strongly encourages…w/all Due Respect to all the great, knowledgeable, experienced Realtors that know how to get the deal “done,” i.e., bringing both seller and buyer together to consummate the deal.
Just b/c you have a signed contract doesn’t mean the deal is “done” yet, rather, it’s the start of the legal process which hopefully results in a smooth transaction for all involved. After 17 years of practicing as a real estate attorney I’ve received my fair share of hate mail/language thrown at me, and growing up in a tougher southside Chicago neighborhood in the 80’s I’ve learned that ‘words cannot hurt you, only sticks and stones, and punches to the back of your head when you are not looking…Anyways, the following is a recent example of hate mail directed at my office that I do not post for symphony, but rather, to shed some light on the competitive real estate market in which maybe not all agents have their client’s best interests at heart.
I don’t know the author of the following as it was delivered unsigned/unnamed w/out a return address (btw if the author is here reading this feel free to reach out to me RE the same; maybe you were having a bad day or maybe we just agree to disagree, either way there is enough hostility floating around nowadays IMHO PEACE!) To add some context to the below, in an effort to survive, feed my family (four growing boys who clean out the refrigerator every 3 days), etc. my staff prepares and mails via the USPS one page advertisements essentially stating that if you don’t have an attorney representing you, give my office a call and we can discuss, answer questions, etc. To survive 17 years in business you need to advertise effectively and the mailers my office mails out play a smaller but necessary part; of course, my main source of advertising is Word of Mouth – simply put, you do good work for people and then they tell more people who want you to do the same. Remember, YOU have the ultimate authority in who represents your LEGAL interests in the selling and buying of your property NOT your realtor (who I suspect wrote the following).
