I paid a lawyer $350 to look over a lease and it was the best money I ever spent
Last year I was about to sign a 2 year commercial lease for a small shop in Portland and my gut told me something was off with the fine print. I almost skipped the $350 review because it felt like a lot for a contract I mostly understood. The lawyer caught a clause that let the landlord raise my base rent by 15% at any time with only 10 days notice, plus I would have been on the hook for their legal fees if we ever fought. I would have been stuck for two years paying who knows what. Has anyone else paid for a review and had it go the other way, where the lawyer missed something or you felt like it was a waste?
Man that clause sounds like a straight up trap and I'm glad your gut kicked in before you signed. I've been on the other side where I skipped the review to save cash and got burned by a repair clause that stuck me with a $4k roof bill, so paying the $350 would've been way cheaper. I did pay once for a review on a sublease and the guy basically skimmed it, missed a sublet fee that cost me $600 later. Still, most folks I know who paid for a real look came out ahead, so your story tracks.