Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Re: Custom Real Estate Forms

Drafting contracts is fun. Please let me know what kind of contract you need. --Phil

Re: Custom Real Estate Forms

Assuming you are going to start some sort of real estate business (which is where you posted your question), it is going to be very difficult for any attorney to tell you how much a "custom contract" will cost you. Do you need a purchase agreement, a commission agreement, a finder's fee agreement, a commercial lease, residential lease, or some other sort of "custom contract"? Generally attorneys that draft contracts in California charge an hourly fee which can range from a low of $150.00 per hour to $600.00 or more an hour. A simple purchase agreement containing the bare minimum of provisions to protect you might cost anywhere from $300.00 to $600.00. The more complex the situation, the more it will cost.

Re: Custom Real Estate Forms

Asking how much it would cost to draft a custom contract is like asking how much it will cost to customize my Ford F150, or how long is a piece of string?

In the last few days, I've done a custom quitclaim deed that took 10 minutes at $175 an hour because I had the basic material in my word processor already, and a non-misappropriation-of-trade-secrets agreement that took over three hours because, although it turned out to be only 4 pages long, I had to research the law applying to almost every clause.

About a year ago, I was a minor participant in drafting a contract for the sale of eighteen miles or railroad right-of-way under an operating railroad line for about $12 million in order to "land bank" the right-of-way land for future rapid transit purposes. The final contract was four inches thick, the negotiations filled several banker boxes and took more than a year to complete. There were numerous parties involved -- seller, buyer, land trusts, transit authorities, cities, counties, consultants, etc. I suppose total legal fees exceeded a quarter million dollars (none to me, I was pro bono).

Re: Custom Real Estate Forms

Depends on the contract there my friend. See my resume at www.ChristopherBrainard.com, I have a proven track record of helping small start ups grow and be successful.