The classic answer is, “it depends,” but I’ll try to give you a better idea.

Real estate attorneys perform a variety of services. Many real estate attorneys perform only “transactional” work which means preparing documents and conducting real estate closings (where the property is sold or transferred form seller to buyer).

Other real estate attorneys handle litigation which are lawsuits. For instance, and to simplify matters greatly, when a seller decides to sell her property, she finds out through the sale process that there is a problem that prevents the land from being sold. She would hire an attorney to fix that issue. This might be that there isn’t access to the road. Or there was a prior owner that had a loan that wasn’t paid off and fell through the cracks. Or a prior owner died and her estate wasn’t handled property. There are many tools to fix these problems, but it often requires a lawsuit and the litigation process.

For transactional attorneys, prices can often be given as flat fee costs. For instance, if you need an attorney to review title (the transfer history) of your property, many will do so for around $250.

If all you need is a quitclaim deed, for instance to transfer a property to a child or spouse, then that can be handled for around $200. I’ve heard of attorneys in town that do it for $100.

If you need an attorney to prepare deeds and closing documents, this will depend on what documents you need. If there is a lender involved, then a title company will work with the lender and agents and add this to the closing costs. It then comes out of the proceeds at closing. You can contact the title company to get the exact fees they charge.

If you are trying to handle a “cash” sale, without a lender, an attorney will often prepare a deed and a closing statement, a seller’s affidavit and a few other typical documents for $600-$1000.

For litigation, it really depends on the circumstances. Attorneys that handle a lot of these types of cases may still quote flat fees. For instance, a quiet title action, which is a very useful lawsuit to resolve a host of issues, might run about $3500. Of course, this still depends on how many defendants are involved and the likelihood of lengthy litigation.

In other situations, attorneys will just bill you their hourly rate. For instance, my current rate is $250. Although that sounds like a lot, an experienced attorney can do a lot of work in a few hours. The costs really increase when there is a trial, so that’s a good thing to avoid if possible.

I hope this gives you some idea of the costs you’re looking at with your real estate issue. Feel free to call or email with specific questions.

Here’s a summary table. Please understand this is just a general idea; these are not necessarily the prices I charge or anyone in particular charges.

Quitclaim Deed	Transfers property when no money changes hand, like to child or spouse	$200
Cash closing (no title insurance)	Transfers property when money is paid, but no lender is involved and title insurance is not purchased	$600-$1000
Quiet title action	Lawsuit that resolves title issues resulting in court order	$3500 and up
Basic probate	Transfers property at death of owner	$750 and up
Title search/abstract	Shows transfer history and identifies title issues with property	$250