Closing attorney fee too high?

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Closing attorney fee too high?

Anonymous Jul 22, 2015 Business 3 views 3 answers

I spoke to an attorney on the phone, never met him in person, about preparing the contract so I can close and sell my house. I'm moving into an apartment so I only needed him for the sale, and I only hired this guy because my realtor said I had to. We never discussed his fee. He just asked me stuff about the house so he can do the contract. Now he says he has a draft and he wants $1750 for his fee. I looked at the draft and all he did was fill in the blanks. I don't think it should cost this much. I don't want to hire him if he's charging that much and I know I can get a lawyer for a few hundred. I never signed anything though I did tell him on the phone I would work with him (but he never said the fee until now). Do I have to follow through with him?

Richard J. ChertockReal Estate AttorneyMelville, NY · Answer 1 · 2026-06-15T15:30:38+00:00

You can fire him but you will have to pay for the work he has done. There is a lot more to selling a home than just drafting a contract. You will not find anyone to do it for "a few hundred dollars". You may find someone who will charge a little less but not by a whole lot. Remember you get what you pay for and while his fee is on the high end it is not unreasonable.

Paul R. GoodmanInternet LawyerNew York, NY · Answer 2 · 2026-06-15T15:30:38+00:00

While he should have discussed the fee with you first, $1750 is not unreasonably high for a house closing on Long Island. It isn't an issue of just filling in blanks on a contract. He needs to negotiate that agreement with the buyer. Needs to work out issues with the buyer after inspection. Has to act as escrow agent to hold the down payment. Needs to prepare documents for closing and needs to attend the closing which often takes two hours or more. In total, your simple transaction will take over 6 hours of lawyer time and thus the fee is not high. We charge more than that for closings in nyc.

Mitchell Nathanson · Answer 3 · 2026-06-15T15:30:38+00:00

In addition to the other services mentioned in the posts on this page, the lawyer will also have to review the title report and work on solving any title issues that may arise, prepare the deed and transfer tax documents and coordinate the closing and then prepare a closing statement, all while protecting your interests every step of the way. My typical fee is $1800 with $900 paid at contract and $900 paid at closing. Although the fee arrangement is disclosed in advance in my case, the fee itself is not high. Please take all of that into consideration. #NathansonLaw #LegalQ&A

Closing attorney fee too high?

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