The short answer. Before you buy, sell or fight over a property in Georgia (the country), go to legal.ge: a question sent through the Ask form reaches several verified civil-law lawyers at once, and the civil-law list shows which of them name real estate among their fields. Several verified specialists on legal.ge work on property purchases, title checks and property disputes, and all of them work in English.
Bring the lawyer in before the deposit
The cheapest moment to involve a lawyer is before any money changes hands. Send the listing or the address, the draft agreement and what the seller or developer has told you, and ask the lawyer:
Who is recorded as the owner, and is that the person selling?
Is there a mortgage, a seizure or any other claim on the property?
Does the draft say what happens to my deposit if the deal falls through?
For a flat under construction: what exactly am I buying, and when does it become mine?
When a dispute has already started
A boundary quarrel with a neighbour, co-owners who cannot agree, a developer who missed the handover date, a tenant who will not leave: set out the facts in order, attach what you signed, and ask whether it can be resolved by negotiation, what a court case would involve and what it would cost.
Fees
Published consultation fees for property work on legal.ge run from GEL 200 to GEL 300. Checking the documents for one property, or accompanying a purchase from start to finish, is priced separately; ask for the figure and what it covers, in writing.
Where they work
Most of these lawyers are in Tbilisi, and half of them also work in Russian. If the property is in another city, ask whether the lawyer will travel there or work on the documents remotely.
Ask before you sign · Civil-law lawyers · How to find a lawyer in Georgia