Do I need a real estate attorney to buy a co-op or condo in New York?

In practice, yes. New York is an attorney-state for real estate: the purchase contract is negotiated and the closing is conducted by lawyers, not agents. For a co-op there is also the proprietary lease, the offering plan, and board approval to review — a buyer without counsel is signing documents no one explained.

What is the difference between a co-op and a condo?

Buying a condo means buying real property — a deed to your unit. Buying a co-op means buying shares in a corporation and a proprietary lease, usually with a board-approval process and more restrictions on resale and financing. The legal review and the closing differ accordingly, and we handle both.

What does a real estate closing attorney actually do?

We negotiate the contract of sale and its riders, review title or the co-op's offering plan and financials, coordinate the lender's requirements, clear liens or title issues, and represent you at closing. The point is that problems are found and fixed before you are bound, not after.

What are NYC closing costs, including the mansion tax?

Closing costs include transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance on real property, and lender costs. New York's “mansion tax” adds a tax on residential purchases at or above $1 million, rising in tiers for higher prices. We map the costs to your deal so there are no surprises at the table.

Do you handle commercial as well as residential deals?

Yes — acquisitions and sales, leasing, and financing for commercial property, alongside residential closings. The diligence is heavier on the commercial side (zoning, leases, environmental), and we scope it to the asset.

Practice - Real property - Transactions

Real Estate Law

Most New York real estate turns on the details that surface at closing — a co-op board's approval, a title or lien problem, the transfer and mansion taxes, an unread contract rider. We represent buyers, sellers, and owners through residential and commercial transactions, from co-ops and condos to townhouses and commercial property, so the deal closes clean and the risks are caught before they cost you.

Begin a conversation Review the steps

Matter: Property counsel
Register: Transactional
Counsel: Christopher Moye

Transactions

Diligence before commitment

Title, the offering plan, the survey, the leases — we investigate before you sign, because that is when problems are still cheap to fix.

The problem

In a New York closing, the problems that cost you are the ones found late — a lien, a board rejection, a title gap, a rider no one read.

New York is an attorney-state for real estate: the contract, the diligence, and the closing all run through counsel, and small omissions — an unreviewed offering plan, an unsearched title, a missed contingency deadline — become expensive after signing. The protection is the review done before the contract is signed and before the closing table.

Principles · 01

How we draft the matter.

Every engagement is composed against these commitments. They shape the protections we add, the questions we ask, and the document that leaves the file.

§ 01

Diligence before commitment

Title, the offering plan, the survey, the leases — we investigate before you sign, because that is when problems are still cheap to fix.

§ 02

The contract is the protection

Contingencies, representations, and riders decide who bears each risk. We draft and negotiate them rather than accept a broker's form.

§ 03

Close clean

We clear liens and title issues and coordinate the lender so the closing happens on schedule and the record is clean afterward.

What we watch · 02

What can break the matter.

These are the terms, structures, and practical risks that usually decide whether the work holds when the file is tested.

BUYERSELLER

Co-op and condo closings

Proprietary leases, offering plans, board approval, and the building's financials — reviewed so a buyer knows what they are actually purchasing.

BUYEROWNER

Title and liens

Title searches, lien resolution, and title insurance that surface and clear defects before they cloud ownership.

INVESTORDEVELOPER

Commercial transactions and leasing

Acquisitions, dispositions, financing, and commercial leases, with the heavier zoning and environmental diligence those deals require.

The work · 03

Four steps. One engagement.

Each step is concrete; each step has a deliverable. The scope is defined, the matter moves, and the file closes.

01
Contract review
We negotiate the contract of sale and its riders, setting the contingencies and deadlines that protect you before you are bound.
02
Due diligence
We investigate title, the offering plan or survey, liens, and — on commercial deals — zoning and environmental exposure.
03
Financing coordination
We work with your lender to satisfy the loan and title requirements so the closing is not derailed at the last moment.
04
Closing
We represent you at closing, clear remaining issues, and confirm the deed, shares, or lease and the record are correct afterward.

Proof

What stands behind the work.

What stands behind the work — credentials and representative engagements, stated plainly.

Authorship

Real estate matters are handled by Christopher Moyé, Esq., who authors the firm's published writing on property and estate law.

Scope of practice

Residential and commercial purchases and sales, co-op and condo closings, leasing, financing, and title and lien resolution.

How the work is run

Every transaction runs on diligence first — title, the offering plan or survey, and the contract terms — before you are committed.

Common questions

Questions clients ask.

Plain answers to the questions that come up most. If yours is not here, send the facts — we answer in writing.

Do I need a real estate attorney to buy a co-op or condo in New York?: In practice, yes. New York is an attorney-state for real estate: the purchase contract is negotiated and the closing is conducted by lawyers, not agents. For a co-op there is also the proprietary lease, the offering plan, and board approval to review — a buyer without counsel is signing documents no one explained.
What is the difference between a co-op and a condo?: Buying a condo means buying real property — a deed to your unit. Buying a co-op means buying shares in a corporation and a proprietary lease, usually with a board-approval process and more restrictions on resale and financing. The legal review and the closing differ accordingly, and we handle both.
What does a real estate closing attorney actually do?: We negotiate the contract of sale and its riders, review title or the co-op's offering plan and financials, coordinate the lender's requirements, clear liens or title issues, and represent you at closing. The point is that problems are found and fixed before you are bound, not after.
What are NYC closing costs, including the mansion tax?: Closing costs include transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance on real property, and lender costs. New York's “mansion tax” adds a tax on residential purchases at or above $1 million, rising in tiers for higher prices. We map the costs to your deal so there are no surprises at the table.
Do you handle commercial as well as residential deals?: Yes — acquisitions and sales, leasing, and financing for commercial property, alongside residential closings. The diligence is heavier on the commercial side (zoning, leases, environmental), and we scope it to the asset.