Sometimes a real estate transaction goes sour, and the parties wind up in court. A realtor may have failed to provide the service you wanted. You may feel that he or she was more interested in profit than in your needs, or was trying to represent both you and the other party in a way that led to unfairness. The realtor may have mishandled your money, or refused to return earnest money. The other party may have made misrepresentations, or refused to close.
Often, a lawyer can help by explaining your options or by writing letters, but if the problem is serious enough, a lawyer can also help you sue to protect your rights. In order to do the best possible job on your behalf, your attorney needs your input and cooperation. At your first meeting with your attorney to discuss litigation, you should be prepared to provide the following information:
INFORMATION ABOUT YOU Name: ________________________________________________________________ Address, Including County: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Your Work Telephone Numbers: __________________ Â Â Â ____________________ Your Home Telephone Numbers: __________________ Â Â Â ____________________ Facsimile Number: __________________ E-mail Address: __________________ Web page (if any): __________________ Former Name(s): ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Your Employer: ______________________________ Your Position: ______________________________ Other litigation you have been involved in: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Other litigation you are involved in: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER PARTY Name: ________________________________________________________________ Is your opponent a business? _______________________________________________ Form of Your Opponent's Business (corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.): ________________________________________ Place of Doing Business: _________________________________________________ Is your opponent a realtor?_________________________________________________ If your opponent is not a realtor, what does he or she do? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Address, Including County: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Length of Time at that Address: _______ years Work Telephone Numbers: __________________ Â Â Â ____________________ Home Telephone Numbers: __________________ Â Â Â ____________________ Facsimile Number: __________________ E-mail Address: __________________ Web page (if any): __________________ Former Name(s): ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Related Business(es) ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Your Contact Person at the Opponent: ______________________________ Are you aware of any litigation you opponent has been involved in? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ WHY YOU ARE SEEKING LEGAL HELP Describe the problem that occurred: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Have you already purchased or sold the property at issue? _________________________ If so, how did you pay for it? _______________________________ Are you still making payments? _____________________________ If not, what stage are negotiations at? Pre-closing? Offer made? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ What has the problem cost you (e.g., additional financing needed, lost earnest money, cost of additional surveys, etc.)? Describe all expenditures and losses: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ How much have you lost or expended? $_____________________________ How much have you budgeted for if you have to sue? $___________________________ Are there written documents which relate to any agreements you have with your opponent? Listing agreements, purchase or escrow agreements, real estate agency agreements, or the like? Please describe: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Is there correspondence between you and your opponent? _________________________ Are you aware of any claims your opponent may have against you? If so, please explain them. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ What outcome do you want from seeing the lawyer? Do you want to force the sale to take place, for example, or do you only need to recover money? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Has your opponent sued you? If so, explain, and attach all relevant documents: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________