Commercial Real Estate Attorney Increases Customer Satisfaction and Improves Convenience with Help from Intelligent Office

The law firm of Barbara A. Chakales, LLC specializes in property law, commercial real estate, secured transactions, and acquisitions and financing for small businesses.

Barbara Chakales entered the field of law in 1995, after attending law school at night at Georgia State University while still working in her first career as a computer systems analyst.

“I needed a new challenge and boy did I get one,” interjects Chakales.

Chakales began her legal career as a Judicial Clerk in the Superior Court of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit where she served for two years before serving as an Associate Juvenile Court Judge. After driving to Winder for three years, she refocused her efforts on finding a position in Atlanta and landed a role with a downtown Atlanta firm that needed help in their commercial real estate department.

Six years and two firms later, Chakales put out a shingle for her solo practice on March 1, 2010. Chakales uses Intelligent Office for live answer and call handling plus she holds closings in their conference rooms when necessary.

Her business serves commercial lenders like banks as well as private commercial lenders. Because the federal stimulus money has increased the amount of SBA lending, she is also doing a lot of SBA transactions.

“The stimulus money pays the majority of the fees that the borrower used to pay in any land transaction,” explains Chakales. “As a result, we’re seeing more borrowers in the market who are able to afford the loan along with lenders willing to put money on the street.”

Chakales typical transactions are for growing or expanding businesses who may have previously leased a warehouse but now they want to purchase it outright. Average loan deals run from $250,000 to $2 million and up for convenience stores, day care centers, small manufacturing space and even hotels.

For those not in the know, commercial loans take a lot longer to close than residential loans, due in part of SBA requirements. Commercial transactions also have more considerations as the lender wants to understand financial stability of the business, especially if there are multiple businesses involved. Plus the title work can be more difficult.

“It’s not like a platted subdivision,” continues Chakales. “Often you have an assemblage of parcels put together in a commercial setting that require additional title work.”

“What I really enjoy about this is meeting small business people and talking to them about their businesses,” stated Chakales. “Although my client is the bank, for the borrower my goal is to make the process as smooth and painless as possible.”

Chakales fights the misperception that the closing process and her profession trend towards the stuffy side. She and her paralegal work very hard at closings to keep the nerves and tensions at bay, instead making the process a relatively helpful experience for everyone – something that ultimately reflects positively on her lending clients.

For more information, contact Barbara Chakales at 678.353.3343 or via email at barbara@chakaleslaw.com.