As Maryland real estate lawyers, the attorneys at Baylaw, LLC handle all types of disputes concerning the purchase, sale, boundaries and ownership of land and properties in Maryland. In Maryland, the law of real estate is a complex blend that draws from statute (primarily the Real Property Article of the Maryland Code); hundreds of years of case law; Maryland regulation; and from contract. Typical real estate issues include:
1. Proper Boundaries: this is a question that touches on deed interpretation, survey techniques, adverse possession and prescriptive easements, among other issues. Boundary disputes disputes between neighbors are some of the most difficult cases to resolve. Both side often feel that they are right, despite the fact that one side is almost certainly wrong. If you have an issue with a neighbor, many times the underlying dispute is about boundaries — please get in touch so we can help.
2. Chain of Title: the question of who owns a piece of property can be a surprisingly difficult issue. Deeds can be difficult to interpret (or even read, when it comes to historic deeds); they can be in c0nflict; they can be out of date or subject to death or adverse claims. Sometimes there is no way around a declaratory judgment or a quiet title action, and we have experience in such matters.
3. Contract Disputes over Purchase and Sale: Sometimes a seller gets cold feet (or a better offer) and refuses to sell after previously agreeing to do so. Sometimes a purchaser decides not to go through a purchase after submitting a qualified offer. The typical Maryland Association of Realtors land contract (and pretty much all other contracts) address these issues in very specific ways, and Maryland also has a common law doctrine of specific performance that may control.
4. Permitting or Construction Issues: If a contract covers real property that has faulty construction or construction for which there is not proper permits, this can have serious implications on the value of the property and duties of the parties.
5. Partition: If you purchased a property with another person, but no longer wish to own it jointly with them, what do you do? The answer is an action in partition. By filing such a case, the plaintiff asks the court to either literally divide the property between the owners, or to sell the property and split the proceeds between the owners.
There are a number of blog posts in this website that address Maryland Real Estate Law which readers should feel free to search and review.
If you have quick question about your own situation, please feel free to send an email to dschwenk@baylawllc.com or call 410 775 6805. Sometimes a quick note is all that is required, and if not, we can assist with determining your real legal issues and avenues to resolve them.