Why This Service Exists Now

In August 2024, the National Association of Realtors' settlement changed how buyer-side real estate commissions work in the United States. Buyer-side compensation is no longer advertised on the MLS, and buyers who engage a broker must now sign a written buyer-representation agreement that specifies the compensation that broker will be paid. In practice, this means California buyers face an explicit choice about paying for buyer-side services that, for most of the last fifty years, was hidden inside the transaction.

California has long recognized a narrow but meaningful exception to broker licensing: under Business and Professions Code section 10133(a)(3), a licensed attorney may perform services in the scope of representing a client in a real estate transaction without holding a real estate broker license. For buyers who find their own property, who are buying from a family member or a for-sale-by-owner seller, or who simply want a predictable flat fee instead of a percentage commission, that exception opens a practical alternative.

We offer that alternative as a productized service with defined scope and flat-fee pricing at four tiers.

Who This Service Is For
  • Buyers who have already identified the property they want and do not need MLS search or showing services
  • Buyers purchasing directly from a for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) seller
  • Buyers purchasing from a family member, friend, business partner, or co-investor
  • Investor buyers and sophisticated buyers who do not need full-service representation
  • Buyers whose agent relationship has fallen through mid-transaction
  • Buyers who want attorney-level review of the California Residential Purchase Agreement and related disclosures before signing
  • Vietnamese-speaking community members who prefer bilingual attorney counsel
  • Buyers referred by CPAs, loan officers, or title officers familiar with our work

Who This Service Is Not For

  • Buyers in the early search phase who need MLS access, showings, or help identifying properties
  • Buyers who want a full-service buyer's agent experience — this service does not replace that relationship
  • Commercial real estate transactions — those require specialized commercial counsel
  • Contested or litigated transactions — those are handled under a separate engagement structure
Four Tiers, Flat Fees

We offer four tiers based on what you need. The 15-minute intake call is the right place to confirm which one fits — and to get a fee quote.

Tier 1
Contract Review
You have found a home, agreed to terms with the seller, and want an attorney to review the California Residential Purchase Agreement and related disclosures before you sign. Includes review of the RPA, seller disclosures, contingency timelines, and any counter-offer terms. Delivered with a 60-minute consultation and a written summary of issues and recommendations. You handle signing, escrow, and closing yourself or with your broker.
Tier 2
Review + Negotiation
Contract review plus attorney-led negotiation on your behalf. We communicate with the seller or seller's agent on specific items — price, contingency periods, repair credits, closing timing, non-standard terms — and deliver signed, negotiated documents ready for escrow. Includes up to three rounds of negotiation.
Tier 3
Full Transaction Counsel
Attorney supervision of the full transaction from offer through close. Includes contract drafting or review, coordination with escrow and title, review of disclosures and inspection reports, contingency-timeline management, communication with the seller or seller's agent throughout, and review of all closing documents. This tier is for buyers who do not want to engage a buyer's broker at all.
Tier 4
Complex Purchase
Entity buyers, cross-border purchases, probate or trust sale purchases, foreclosure and short-sale purchases, seller-financed transactions, 1031 exchange components, and other non-standard structures. Scope and fee quoted on review of the specific facts.
How It Works
  1. Free 15-minute intake call to identify the right tier and confirm that no conflict exists with the other party.
  2. Engagement letter and flat-fee invoice sent electronically; fee paid before substantive work begins.
  3. You upload the draft contract, disclosures, and any related documents to our secure portal.
  4. We complete the review (and, in higher tiers, the negotiation and transaction supervision) on an agreed timeline — typically 48 to 72 hours for Contract Review; two to six weeks for Full Transaction Counsel depending on escrow schedule.
  5. You receive the final written summary or closing package at the end of the engagement.

What Happens After the Engagement

Each tier is scoped to be a complete service. Contract Review ends with delivery of the written summary; the buyer takes it from there. Full Transaction Counsel ends at close of escrow. If complications arise outside the scope agreed to — post-closing disputes, title defects discovered later, or litigation — those are separate engagements, quoted separately.

Frequently Asked Questions
California Business and Professions Code section 10133(a)(3) exempts licensed attorneys from the real estate broker licensing requirement when performing services in the scope of representing a client in a real estate transaction. This is a specific statutory exception recognized by the California Department of Real Estate. We are California-licensed attorneys operating within this exception.
If you are still looking for a property, yes — we do not show homes or provide MLS access. Many buyers use a limited-service broker or an online platform for property identification and then engage us once they have found the home they want. Other buyers find their property directly through FSBO listings, family transactions, or off-market channels and do not need a broker at all.
A traditional buyer-side commission of 2.5 percent on a $1.2 million California home is $30,000. Our Full Transaction Counsel tier is a flat fee quoted on review of your transaction — typically a small fraction of a traditional commission. For buyers who do not need MLS search and showing services, the savings are significant. For buyers who do need those services, our Contract Review tier can be a useful complement to limited-service brokerage.
For Contract Review: the California Residential Purchase Agreement (or the equivalent form being used), any counter-offers, and the seller's disclosures. For higher tiers, also: inspection reports, title commitment, HOA documents if applicable, and any seller-provided financial or repair information.
Many reviews produce a written list of items that the buyer can raise with the seller directly. You are not obligated to engage us for the negotiation — we deliver the written summary, and you can decide whether to handle negotiation yourself or come back to us for the Review + Negotiation tier.
Escrow is handled by a neutral escrow company in California, not by the buyer's attorney. At the Full Transaction Counsel tier, we coordinate with escrow throughout the transaction, review the closing documents before signing, and attend closing if appropriate. We do not act as the escrow holder.
Inspectors, appraisers, and lenders are separate professionals engaged directly by the buyer. At the Full Transaction Counsel tier, we coordinate with each of them on the buyer's behalf, review their deliverables, and manage the contingency timelines against their output. At lower tiers, the buyer manages those relationships directly.
No. California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.7 restricts concurrent representation where there is a significant risk of material limitation. Even if both parties consent, a real estate purchase is an adverse transaction, and we will not undertake joint representation. If the other side is unrepresented, we will confirm that fact in writing and ensure they understand we do not represent their interests.
Family-to-family transactions are one of the most common uses of this service. The transaction itself is legally identical to an arm's-length sale, but the paperwork is often simplified and the price has been agreed informally. We review or draft the RPA, coordinate with escrow and title, and make sure nothing is overlooked that could create tax or title problems later.
Yes. Great Oaks Lawyers serves California clients in both English and Vietnamese, at every tier of this service.
Post-closing disputes, undisclosed defects, title problems, and related matters fall outside the scope of this engagement. If something comes up, we can open a separate engagement to address it — but the flat fee here covers only the services described in the selected tier.