I have to laugh at the realtors telling you not to bother with a lawyer. Of course...why would they want to risk any lawyers messing up the closing? Just push it through and get the commission check. That advice is so insanely inappropriate its comical.
Realtors are not there to protect your interests, they are there to facilitate a deal. They will not tell you what you should have in your contract, and what you shouldn't. At the end of the day, they want to parties to agree on terms (any terms) so the deal closes and they get paid.
Sure, 95% of the time it won't matter-- but when it does matter, you will pay big time for not having a good contract. The purchase of a home is by far the largest purchase most people will make in their lives, and most will have no clue what is going on as they are going through the process. I always get a kick out of people who want to do it without a lawyer to save $1,000. Same goes for people who don't want to bother with a home inspection. Its a small price of insurance for something that can turn into a disaster.
The critical thing is for you to convey your goals to your attorney. They are working on a flat rate...no attorney is going to make more work by engaging in a "power struggle" that delays things unless the client wants it. The more letters go back and forth, the more money the attorney loses on the matter. Good lawyers will explain to you the stuff worth demanding, and the stuff that is okay to let go. No lawyer is going to fight for something if you tell them not to fight over that issue. If the contract is being held up because the other side won't agree to something, any decent lawyer will explain what the hold up is, so you can decide whether it is worth it or not.
