Real Estate Attorney Orlando FL

Be proactive. Consult real estate attorney and legal counsel, Joe Knape, before you even negotiate a real estate transaction on a commercial or residential property. You should know what you’re getting into and with Florida Bar member Joe Knape, you will have a real estate attorney to rely on and someone you can ask how best to protect your real estate transaction from real estate litigation down the road.

The US real estate and mortgage industries are among the most highly regulated industries in the world. Strict laws ensure buyers do not fall prey to fraudsters. And yet, every year in the US, among the most prevalent lawsuits started by real estate lawyers in both state and federal courts relating to real estate, residential real estate transactions, real estate law, and claims against real estate agents and property sellers.

Top claims against real estate brokers, developers, and sellers include failure to disclose, breach of duty, and misleading clients. Some real estate brokers do not act in the best interest of the buyer in a real estate transaction, even when they are required to do so by the law.

The truth? Some real estate professionals do not update themselves on new rules about real estate development, commercial or residential property developments. They have not familiarized themselves with amendments to real estate law and regulations. And they do not keep a watchful eye on city land use planning in the pipeline that may diminish or increase property values.

Some real estate brokers intentionally withhold pertinent information regarding commercial real estate or residential properties, such as defects in or past damage to the home. Some mislead clients and fail to disclose issues like flood risk or mold in the attic, which they are required by Orlando real estate law to do.

Did you even know that in the Orlando area, real estate brokers and property owners are not legally required to disclose that homicide or suicide had occurred in a house? Death on a property in any Orlando, Fl home is not considered a material fact that must be disclosed in residential real estate transactions.

Of course, other real estate brokers, sellers, and lessors and even some real estate attorneys and real estate lawyers are plain lazy or negligent. They don’t do due diligence or assist clients. They don’t discover and inform buyers of residential properties or parties involved in transactions about ownership or boundary disputes affecting the property they are selling or offering for sale.

How would you even know that the title to the property is clean and free from any could of doubt?

Sadly, real estate fraud, boundary disputes, and co-owner disputes rank among the most litigated real estate issues in the US. Fortunately, real estate attorney, Joe Knape, is knowledgeable in all areas of real estate law, commercial real estate transactions, and real estate litigation. Even when commercial property owners, sellers, lessors, and real estate brokers look out for their own interest instead of yours, legal counsel Joseph Knape offers legal services to help you. He’s the best real estate attorney in the Orlando area.

Are you an entrepreneur starting your own business? Perhaps you found the most ideal of commercial premises, with lots of foot traffic at lunch, accessible even to public transportation, and near other established places of business.

You might be a firm believer in self-reliance and rugged individualism. Perhaps you’re thinking, you can DYI your real estate lease. Should you do it all on your own? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should, especially in commercial real estate and especially in contracts of lease.

The lease contract may look straightforward to you. And yet, landlord-tenant disputes rank highest among top causes of civil litigation. Why? Because contracts of a lease are like icebergs. The written contract you sign is only the tip of the iceberg that’s visible on the top of the water, but the landlord-tenant relationship that endures for the term of the lease is that part of the iceberg under the water. Once you sign the contract of lease, just like the Titanic, you might be heading for a collision with an immovable iceberg in the cold, dark ocean of litigation.

For instance, if you’re the property owner, do you know the legal remedies available to you under real estate law in case the lessor puts the property at risk of fire or water damage? What if the lessor refuses to let you inspect the property?

Or worse, what if the lessor puts up a legal business upfront but also uses the premises for illegal activities in the back? How do you, as a landlord, protect yourself under real estate law from fines and criminal charges?

If you’re the tenant, what can you do if the landlord refuses to maintain the premises, so it doesn’t violate the sanitation code or the fire code? What can you do if the landlord refuses to make repairs that, under real estate law, the landlord is required to make? You need a reliable real estate attorney.

What if the landlord suddenly raises your rent in the middle of the contract term? Can he even do that under real estate law and the contract you signed? Does your contract of lease protect you from a landlord who will abuse the contract and take advantage of you?

Don’t DYI your commercial lease contract, please. You cannot DYI a lease contract any more than you can perform heart surgery on yourself. And you must pick among so many real estate lawyers out there.

Because your business and livelihood may depend on it, having trustworthy real estate lawyer Joe Knape to advise and guide you, review your contract, and represent you might spell the difference between a successful business venture and bankruptcy.

Have you availed of a mortgage loan to enable you to purchase your dream home? Things looked promising until Covid-19 hit. With the lockdowns, the inevitable business closures, the recession, and the inflation, you find yourself unable to meet your mortgage payments. You will need legal counsel.

There was a moratorium in place, and that helped for a bit. But now, in the new normal, you’re still struggling, and you’ve tried everything. But a final notice to pay confronts you. The entire mortgage loan has become due and demandable.

Orlando real estate attorney, Joe Knape, can represent you as your legal counsel when you discuss and negotiate with the bank or the lender. As legal counsel, he can help you negotiate a forbearance, a payment plan, or the reinstatement of your mortgage loan. Not all real estate attorneys are alike. Joe Knape can help get your mortgage restructured or seek a lower interest rate for your loan or reduce your monthly mortgage payments to make it easier for you to avoid foreclosure altogether.

Sometimes, foreclosure does not always happen because of the borrower’s fault. Some banks and lenders are remiss in their duties of disclosure and transparency to borrowers. Some are guilty of fraudulent lending practices. Orlando real estate lawyer, Joe Knape, can represent you and help you defend yourself and keep your home. If the lender or banker is guilty of knowing violations of the SAFE lending laws, Joe Knape offers legal services to help you run after the lender or banker for damages.

Even when keeping your home is no longer an option, Joe Knape will work hard for you to avoid foreclosure. This is important. Facing a foreclosure is not only nerve-wracking, but it may also have a disastrous impact on your future.

A foreclosure will not only deprive you of the property you’ve worked so hard to get, but a foreclosure will also haunt your credit history for years to come. It will make it that much harder to apply for a newer, more financially rewarding job because most employers do a credit check of job applicants.

It will make it harder for you to apply for a professional license because professional regulatory agencies also do a credit history check. A foreclosure in your credit history will make it harder for you to buy a car, apply for a loan, or even rent a new apartment.

Legal counsel and real estate attorney Joe Knape and his law firm can help you find a solution to avoid having a foreclosure mar your credit history. With him, you can explore options. All hope isn’t lost even with foreclosure proceedings looming.

Not many real estate attorneys will tell you, you can sell your property to another in a transaction called a sale with an assumption of mortgage. The person who buys the property from you will pay you a certain amount, but the buyer will also take on the responsibility of repaying your creditor. You can even sell the property to the lender, banker, or creditor on a short pay off just so the word “foreclosure” does not appear on your credit history.