Real Estate Paralegal Duties

Real estate paralegal duties may be carried out by any paralegal working in a law office that specializes in real estate. These types of law offices can vary from those that deal in office buildings and large commercial real estate to smaller suburban offices that cater to home buyers and small commercial properties.

Paralegals who have specialized in real estate and are knowledgeable in this field can usually command higher salaries, particularly if they are certified.

A large number of paralegal duties in real estate involve doing research on prospective properties and preparing pertinent transaction documents for the finalization of a sale. The research is often called “due diligence” and grows more complex as the type of property you are dealing with gets larger.

Most real estate paralegal duties regardless of the type of property will include:

• Performing title searches to determine whether there are any financial or environmental issues associated with the property
• Preparing contracts of sale
• Preparing documents and binders for closing
• Preparing documents related to breach of contract litigation
• Coordinating procedures related to escrow
• Preparing documents related to mortgage foreclosures

If you are working in a smaller real estate office, you will probably be dealing with clients who are buying homes or small commercial properties like medical office buildings or strip malls.

Home buying is generally straightforward, but there may be additional research and document preparation involved with regard to environmental issues, easement rights, or tenant concerns.

Real Estate Paralegal Duties – Emphasis Lies On Research

The duties of a paralegal working with commercial real estate attorneys stend to be more complex, particularly in terms of research. In addition to the standard title and environmental concerns, commercial buildings often employ maintenance staff and have standing contracts with various suppliers or services. These need to be researched thoroughly in order to document all potential costs for the buyer.

Even within this field of specialization, real estate paralegal duties can vary widely depending on the specific type of real estate the office handles. If you are considering this specialty as a paralegal, be sure that you take the pertinent courses offered by one of the real estate law programs, including contract law.

Read more about what a paralegal does do apart from the specialized field of real estate paralegal duties.