Finding the right person to handle any legal transaction related to your house can be a difficult challenge. It's hard to know who has the correct capabilities and certifications, let alone who will actually be the best qualified with experience and knowledge for your particular circumstance. This is especially true if you're facing the potential for a short sale. Even if you're trying to find a short sale attorney in Los Angeles, Phoenix, or other areas areas particularly hard hit by the housing crisis, there is still a relative lack of lawyers with actual experience in home loan modification and debt relief. These tips will help you find someone to represent your case well.
Look For Someone With Demonstrated Experience
Having the technical qualifications to represent someone and having the actual, practical knowledge are two very different things. After you determine that your change attorney has the knowledge and is legally allowed to represent you, you should start asking questions about their experience in the area. How long have they been representing homeowners? What other kinds of cases do they handle? How have their previous turned out? Asking these questions will help you determine whether or not they're the right person to take care of you.
Contact Local Homeowner Assistance Programs
Government run programs and nonprofits can often help you determine a qualified attorney. They will at least be able to advise you on some common indicators for an unqualified individual. They may provide references, or have partners with local businesses that have proven to be particularly helpful. Remember that all attorneys are required to pass their local Bar exam and have a license to practice law, so if you're having difficulty finding someone (or want to double check their capacity to represent you) you can always check there.
Educate Yourself
A home loan modification expert will have a lot of specialist knowledge; that's the reason you want their assistance in the first place. But that does not mean you have to go into the search process totally blind. Make sure that you know the basics of what you're looking for prior to starting any kind of searching. For example, are you looking to keep your home, or do you believe it would be better to try cutting your losses through a short sale?
If you're not sure, there is nothing wrong with getting several opinions. A good lawyer will encourage you to educate yourself as much as possible, to learn about what's going on and what they're doing to help you out. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to handle anything that might happen during the case, and the more likely you are to find yourself working with a great lawyer.
