Real property is often an individual or company’s most important asset, so it is understandable that parties want to fight for their rights should a real estate dispute arise.

At the office of Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess, our team of real estate attorneys has over 25 years of experience handling legal matters involving real estate and we have offices conveniently located in both Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.

Exploring options for efficient real estate dispute resolution

Disputes regarding land and other real estate may arise in numerous ways and may involve a variety of issues. A few examples of common disputes include:

• Land use conflicts
• Boundary disagreements
• Defects in construction
• Transactional fraud or misrepresentation
• Disputes regarding lease provisions
• Commission disputes
• Subprime or predatory lending

When a real estate dispute arises, you may be concerned that in order to sufficiently resolve the dispute, you will have to spend a substantial amount of money and time in court. Sometimes, however, written real estate contracts contain provisions that dictate how any resulting disputes will be settled. However, even if the agreement contains no such provision, the attorneys at the Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess know how to explore other dispute resolution options to save your resources.

Mediation and arbitration are two methods of alternative dispute resolution that commonly lead to successful dispute resolutions outside of court. Mediation¹ uses a neutral third party mediator who helps facilitate negotiations between the parties to try to come to an equitable resolution without having to go to court. Arbitration² also uses one or more neutral arbitrators who then make a decision based on the arguments of both parties.

A major difference between the two processes is that mediation agreements are usually not binding on the parties, while arbitration decisions are generally binding. Both processes, however, tend to relieve parties to the dispute of the extensive time, cost, and stress of litigation.

Experienced litigators standing up for your rights

In some cases, a satisfactory resolution cannot be reached through mediation or arbitration and the dispute must be resolved through litigation³. In such cases, you always want to ensure that your attorney is an experienced real estate litigator who understands trial procedures and who will zealously stand up for your rights in court.

Call an experienced real estate attorney for a consultation

The lawyers at the Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess know how to evaluate every real estate dispute case and identify which dispute resolution method is right in that particular case. We will work for the most efficient resolution, however, are willing to take your case to trial if necessary to protect your best interests.

¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediation

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitration

³https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/litigation