Recent News

What is a Feasibility Contingency?

Washington State Real Estate Law Lawyer Babak Shamsi | 12/23/2025
Most real estate purchase and sale agreements involve the acquisition of residential real estate, often housing (apartment style units, townhomes, single family homes, etc.), for the purpose of serving as a primary residence for the buyer, or as an investment opportunity in the property’s current form. In these circumstances, the buyers basically know what they… Read More

The Effect Of A Tax Foreclosure Sale On Title

Washington State Real Estate Lawyer Andrew M. McKenzie | 12/15/2025
It is often said that nothing is certain but death and taxes.  In Washington, property taxes are a critical source of funding for local governments, including local infrastructure such as roads, police, and schools.  To ensure the vital collection of property taxes, the Washington Legislature has created a system to allow the local governments (generally… Read More

The Compass/Zillow Fight Heats Up

Washington State Real Estate Law Lawyer Babak Shamsi | 11/25/2025
I have previously published several blog posts regarding the push from Compass Real Estate to allow private real estate listings. Those posts can be found here, here, and here. In a nutshell, Compass Real Estate elected to give their property owner clients the ability to list with them privately, creating a private portal for its agents and their clients, so… Read More

Can a Recorded Survey Bring an Easement Into Being?

Washington State Litigation and Real Estate Lawyer Zachary M. Smith | 11/17/2025
A recent Washington State court of Appeals case looked at a dispute around an easement and if it were properly created and recorded in Solberg v. River Park Estates Property Owners Association, No. 40743-8-III (Wash. Ct. App. Div. III, Nov. 10, 2025). The Case: Erik and Megan Solberg bought their home in River Park Estates… Read More

When HOAs Lose Adverse Possession Claims: Lessons from Stoney Meadows v. Ten Kley

Washington State Real Estate and Litigation Lawyer William O. Kessler | 11/4/2025
Imagine your quiet cul-de-sac suddenly becomes the center of a heated property dispute. That happened to the litigants in Stoney Meadows Homeowners Association v. Ten Kley, a recent Washington Court of Appeals case. That lawsuit highlights how even long-term use and maintenance of land may not suffice to win an adverse possession claim. Are you a… Read More

Tacking – Adverse Possession Through Successive Occupants

Washington State Litigation and Real Estate Lawyer Aaron M. Dunn | 10/30/2025
Under the doctrine of adverse possession, a person may acquire legal title to another’s land if they use another’s land for at least ten years in a manner that is (1) hostile, (2) actual and uninterrupted, (3) open and notorious, and (4) exclusive. In some situations, a property owner will knowingly or unknowingly use another’s… Read More

Liability For Trimming Encroaching Trees Back to the Property Line

Washington State Real Estate Law Lawyer Babak Shamsi | 10/22/2025
One of the most common issues that arises in disputes between neighbors are those involving trees. I previously wrote an article here regarding a property owner’s right to trim back both encroaching trees that physically stand entirely on another owner’s property, and boundary trees that stand on both properties at issue. When a tree that stands entirely… Read More

Collecting Pre-Judgment Interest

Washington State Real Estate Law Lawyer Babak Shamsi | 10/21/2025
In Washington State, parties seeking damages related to breach of contract, often can recover interest on those damages pursuant to contractual provisions governing interest. Promissory notes, construction contracts, lease agreements, and many other types of contracts may specify an interest rate that accrues on a principal balance in the event of a default. Typically, the… Read More