Real Estate

In residential sales in New York City and on Long Island, the accepted offer is only the beginning: the contract is negotiated by the parties’ attorneys after the offer is accepted, and nothing is binding until it is signed by both sides. That contract sets the terms that matter most — the down payment and how it is held in escrow, the mortgage contingency and its deadlines, what happens if the title or the property has problems, and when the closing must occur.

We review the title report and survey, resolve objections, coordinate with lenders and the other side, and attend the closing. New York requires most sellers of residential property to deliver a Property Condition Disclosure Statement, and we make sure buyers and sellers understand their obligations and rights before they sign.

When deals fail or neighbors disagree, the firm litigates: actions to recover or keep a down payment, disputes over boundaries, easements, and title, and partition actions when co-owners — often family members who inherited property together — cannot agree on whether to sell.

Adverse possession claims in New York changed significantly in 2008. A claimant must now show a reasonable basis for believing the property belonged to them, and certain minor encroachments, such as fences, hedges, and sheds, are treated as permissive and cannot by themselves establish ownership.