Real Estate

A realtor markets and negotiates; a title company insures title and closes the transaction. Neither represents your legal interests or can advise you on the contract terms. For a straightforward residential purchase on a standard form, that division usually works. For commercial property, seller financing, unusual contingencies, easement or access questions, property with title defects, or any transaction where the standard form has been modified, an attorney reviewing the contract before you sign is inexpensive relative to the exposure.

An easement gives someone the right to use part of another person's land, most often for access, utilities, or drainage. Disputes arise over whether an easement exists at all, how wide it is, what it may be used for, and who maintains it. Resolution can come from negotiating a written agreement that replaces an ambiguous or unwritten arrangement, or from a quiet title or declaratory judgment action where the parties cannot agree.

Yes. Our attorneys have represented both developers and local governments, which means we can tell you early whether an approval is realistic and what a governing body will actually want to see. We handle rezoning applications, conditional and special use permits, variances, platting and subdivision approval, and appearances before planning and zoning commissions and city councils.

Options depend on your contract and the timing. They may include a breach of contract claim, a negligence claim, defending or challenging a mechanic's lien, a claim against a payment or performance bond, and in some circumstances a statutory consumer claim. Missouri mechanic's lien deadlines are short and strictly enforced, so both owners and contractors should get advice quickly rather than after a lien is filed.