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An estoppel certificate is a legal document where a party confirms key facts about an existing contract. It is common among contracts involving tenants, borrowers, and homeowners associations. Estoppel certificates may appear in real estate transactions such as: Buying commercial property with existing tenantsPurchasing multi-family apartment buildingsBuying shopping centers and retail locationsAcquiring office buildings with…

Texas law does not give property owners an automatic right to a view. If a neighbor builds a fence, plants trees, or adds a second story that blocks your line of sight, you usually have no legal right to prevent the project, even if it lowers your property value or ruins a view you enjoyed….

Property surveys are important to define the boundaries of a given parcel. But when a survey shows issues like property line disputes or undisclosed rights of way, related real estate transactions can face delays. Recognizing common survey complications can help protect your investment and keep your closing on schedule.Access IssuesAccess problems happen when a survey…

A commercial lease is a contract. Contracts allocate risk. Texas courts generally enforce these leases as written, especially between sophisticated parties. Therefore, the fine print controls who bears what risks. In commercial real estate transactions, this makes lease review as important as due diligence on the property itself. Several common clauses quietly move high costs…

A title commitment is one of the most important documents in a real estate transaction. This document is the title company’s conditional offer to issue a title insurance policy. It identifies the current owner, describes the property, lists the requirements that must be satisfied before closing, and discloses exceptions (i.e., items the policy will…

For a commercial Lender, a loan is only as strong as the due diligence and documentation behind it. When a Borrower performs, the paperwork rarely matters. When a Borrower defaults, it becomes the paper trail that shows whether the Lender’s position was ever as strong as it looked. Thorough pre-closing due diligence and a complete set of loan documents are what allow a Lender to recover…

In Texas, removing a co-owner means either a voluntary deed transfer for property or a title transfer for vehicles, with both parties’ signatures or legal action if one won’t cooperate. Co-owned property in Texas is owned by two or more individuals. Married couples, family members, business partners, or friends may hold title to real…

Real estate transactions in Houston occasionally involve legal disputes that affect a person’s ownership or rights to sell a property. In some cases, a person or creditor may file a lis pendens, which is a formal legal notice filed in the real property records of the county where the property is located. A lis…

In Texas, a handshake is sometimes considered as good as a contract. However, in real estate transactions, parties generally need more than a verbal promise of performance. Texas law imposes strict requirements on real estate agreements to protect buyers, sellers, and other parties involved.  In most circumstances, verbal real estate agreements are not enforceable…

In Texas, co-ownership of property is a common arrangement, especially among family members, business partners, and married couples. Co-ownership occurs when two or more individuals hold title to the same piece of real property. Understanding real estate law in Texas helps determine how those interests are divided. Property law recognizes three primary forms of joint…