Can anyone recommend a real estate lawyer in Houston?

October 14, 2009 9:17 AM

The wife and I are in the process of buying a home in Houston (TX). We have/had a real estate lawyer that we were working with, but she has gotten extremely non-responsive (we just found out yesterday that she has some family issues), and the deal just got a little more complicated.

We were going FHA, and one of the stipulations of the deal is that the seller must own the house for 3 months before selling it. Apparently, we were told one thing, but the actual facts and paperwork say another. So we have another month and a half before we can purchase the property. We have been offered, by the seller, a 12 month lease, that can expire upon purchase of the property.

Now, that could be all well and good, and we really do need to move on this quickly, however there are two issues; first, is that we don't have a lawyer to look over the lease and to protect our interests currently, and secondly, we're going to miss out on the 8k tax credit (unless the deadline is extended).

Are there any reputable real estate lawyers in the city that anyone has dealt with and can recommend?

posted by getupandgo to law & government (4 comments total)

Call your current lawyer and explain your situation and ask for a referral. Be polite. You'll need her on board for the transition.
posted by Ironmouth at 9:52 AM on October 14

greekphilosophy is a lawyer in Houston. Perhaps contact him directly if he doesn't pop into this thread. He may not be a real estate lawyer (I don't know), but he might know of a good one. Bonus: He's organizing the meetup Friday.
posted by Houstonian at 9:57 AM on October 14

Ironmouth has it. You need an active and engaged lawyer, especially with these new twists to the purchase.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:24 AM on October 14

I have some mortgage broker/real estate friends I can put you in contact with for referrals to real estate lawyers. Email me at francelia <>> gmail, not the email address attached to my metafilter account.
posted by pomegranate at 11:14 AM on October 14