Serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara Counties
Real Estate Attorney
Close the deal and protect your interests
That’s your goal. That’s my goal, too. I like to negotiate, and I am a strong advocate for contract terms that are fair and protect my clients’ interests here in Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Dealing with the business of real estate in Santa Cruz County can be complex. Whether a client’s interests are in developing, selling, purchasing, leasing or managing real estate, the world we live in requires property owners to deal with various, overlapping legal issues regarding their property.
An experienced and thorough real estate lawyer is often needed to navigate and advise clients on the various transactions, problems and disputes that can arise.
My real estate law practice includes:
- Property owner liabilities
- Co-ownership/tenant in common issues
- Purchase and Sale Agreements
- Financing issues
- Title issues
- Property damage issues
- Drainage, trees, trespass, encroachment, boundary and neighbor disputes
- Regulatory/environmental issues
- Taxes and insurance
- CC&Rs and deed restrictions
- HOAs and road maintenance associations
- Easements, subdivisions, lot line adjustments, driveway agreements, and related disputes
Law school professors explain that all real property is unique, and that is why the law provides the “specific performance” remedy for breach of a contract to sell real estate. In non-legal jargon, a court can order someone to convey the specific real property that they promised to sell.
While there are many typical situations in the practice of real estate law, there are even more non-standard situations involving unique combinations of related facts. What may originate as a straight-forward transaction or project (e.g., purchase and sale agreement, lease, foreclosure, lot line adjustment, easement, formation of HOA or road association), may turn out to have one or more unforeseen obstacles and issues of the type referenced above.
It is this kind of problem-solving that makes the practice of real estate law so interesting.
I will help you come out ahead
An essential role of the real estate attorney is to help the client complete the desired real estate transaction as efficiently as possible while protecting the client’s interests. After the parties agree on the basic terms of a real estate deal, the role of the attorney is to flesh out current or future conditions and potential liabilities, help the client satisfy conditions, negotiate obstacles and solve problems as is necessary to complete the deal.
In dealing with disputes between co-owners of real estate, between buyers and sellers, or between owners and third parties, the role of the real estate attorney is to help the client resolve the dispute as efficiently as possible while protecting the client’s goals and interests.
I will help you analyze and solve the various and complex issues that can arise in any real estate transaction so you come out ahead.
Representative real estate legal matters
Real Estate Transactions:
- Drafted, reviewed and negotiated commercial lease agreements on behalf of landlords and tenants (Santa Cruz County);
- Drafted, reviewed and negotiated residential and commercial purchase agreements on behalf of landlords and tenants (Santa Cruz County);
- Drafted, reviewed and negotiated co-tenancy agreements (Santa Cruz County);
- Drafted, reviewed and negotiated purchase and sale agreements for residential/commercial property (Santa Cruz County);
- Drafted water well agreements and/or utility easements for private homeowners in anticipation of purchase and sale (Santa Cruz County);
- Implemented statutory procedure allowing for substitute trustee to reconvey deed of trust on residential real property because original trustee and original lender could not be found (Santa Cruz County);
Real Estate Property Disputes/Litigation/Arbitration/Mediation:
- Represented home buyers in nondisclosure lawsuit against sellers and sellers’ agent regarding severe mold infestation (Santa Cruz County);
- Represented home seller in nondisclosure case (mediation) regarding alleged substandard construction and concealed mold and rot (Santa Cruz County);
- Represented residential landlords in eviction proceedings (Santa Cruz and Alameda Counties);
- Represented commercial landlords in eviction proceedings (Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties);
- Represented owner of vacation rental in driveway dispute with neighbor (City of Santa Cruz);
- Represented co-tenant in dispute with other co-tenant regarding improvement and sale of co-owned property (Santa Cruz County);
- Represented seller of residential property in dispute over retained deposit (liquidated damages) after buyer cancelled purchase (Santa Cruz County);
- Represented landowners asserting rights against neighbor to remove a fence that encroached the actual boundary and/or to construct a fence on the common boundary (Santa Cruz County);
- Represented landowner in negotiating agreements regarding large-scale, state-funded stream restoration project on client’s property (Santa Cruz County);
- Advised homeowners on rights and remedies regarding a neighboring construction project that blocked client’s views.
Stay out of trouble. Get help.
Now it’s your turn. Feeling overwhelmed? Anxious about securing a deal that assures the best outcome for you? Need help resolving boundary or title issues? Need help closing the deal and steering clear of trouble?
I can help. Contact me today. I practice real estate law from my office in Capitola where I serve clients throughout Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Alameda Counties.
Call (831) 477-9193.
