Green Bay Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Green Bay Title Attorneys

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Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Wisconsin

Sometimes, neighbors will discover that the way they've been using their land doesn't conform with the property lines that the local government has on record. When they find out, the case has to be resolved somehow. In such cases, there is usually a winner and a loser, so conflict is likely to arise.

In a seemingly-ideal situation, the neighbors will choose to ignore this new revelation, and go on as they always have. Of course, this doesn't happen commonly, and might have consequences down the road, including title eventually changing to reflect the perceived property lines, without the choice of either neighbor.

It's more commonly the case that one neighbor wants to maintain the current use of the land, property lines notwithstanding, while the other neighbor wants to enforce the property lines that are on record. This is because moving a property line necessarily expands the land of one neighbor, while shrinking the land of another. Obviously, the neighbor whose land would be shrunk will likely oppose any attempt to enforce the property lines.

While the boundary disputes discussed above occur fairly regularly, they aren't the only type of land dispute that can happen in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There are also title disputes. These disagreements arise when it isn't clear who owns an entire parcel of land. There are many reasons why such confusion might arise, but a common one is failure to properly record a deed, or subsequent loss of a deed by the recording office. While normally innocent in origin, these disputes can also be the product of fraud. Sometimes, a landowner will sell his land to more than one person, with each buyer assuming that they are the only buyer. Having "sold" his land multiple times, the fraudster presumably flees the jurisdiction with his ill-gotten gains. This leaves the buyers to figure out who really owns the land that each of them thought they had just bought. Obviously, whoever loses this dispute will normally have to absorb the loss of the land's purchase price, if the fraudulent seller cannot be found.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Green Bay, Wisconsin

One possible result of a boundary dispute is a court effectively re-drawing the boundaries to fit what the neighbors had perceived. This is most commonly done if the neighbors were aware for a long time of the "real" property lines, and didn't do anything about it. It also helps if the neighbor who is encroaching makes major improvements to the land, and enforcing the new property lines would place a major burden on him.

A court, for many possible reasons, might decide to give effect to the legally-recorded property lines, which would generally change the neighbors' situation, with respect to how they use their land. For instance, if the neighbor who is benefiting from the prevailing situation (he is using land beyond the actual boundary of his property, thereby encroaching onto the land of another) knew about the discrepancy and took steps to actively hide this fact from the other neighbor, the court is very unlikely to do anything that rewards this behavior, even in the slightest. Therefore, a court is likely to decide against the dishonest neighbor. Conversely, if the neighbor who would benefit from enforcing the property lines did nothing to make this happen for many years, a court will probably tell them that they had their chance, and essentially consented to the current arrangement when they took no action to correct it.

When a title dispute comes up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the court has to apply some pretty perplexing legal and equitable principles. These rules are sometimes very obscure, mainly because they can trace their origins back hundreds of years, to the common-law courts of England. However, a close examination of them reveals their basic goal: deciding ownership disputes based on longstanding conceptions of basic fairness.

Typically, the person who records the deed first will be the one who takes ownership. Of course, this will only be if they had no reason to know about the other deeds).

What Can A Green Bay, Wisconsin Attorney Do?

Real property disputes frequently involve very old legal principles that can even confound lawyers who aren't experts in real estate law. For that reason, you should almost always hire an expert Green Bay, Wisconsin real estate attorney, who will assist you navigate these murky legal waters.

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Life in Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin is the county seat for Brown County and has a population of over 104,000. The city is best known for being home to the NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay is nicknamed "Titletown", which is a reference to the record number of championship titles won by the Packers.

The city of Green Bay is very fond of outdoor festivals and celebrations. In addition to Packer games at Lambeau field and other sports functions, popular events include Winterfest on Broadway, Artstreet, and Summer in the Park. Shopping is also very popular in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Bay Park Square features a football-themed food court with many eateries and two giant flatscreen TVs at each end of the court. Green Bay Plaza and East Town Mall also have a variety of retail stores and restaurants.

Historically, Green Bay's economy consisted mostly of trade and farming. Currently, the city boasts an active business and economic life comprised of many different trades and industries. Some major employers in Green Bay, Wisconsin include Humana, Schneider International, and American Foods Group. The Green Bay Packers are also a major employer for the city.

Lawyers in Green Bay, Wisconsin usually assist clients at the Green Bay City Municipal Court or at the Brown County Courthouse. Green Bay attorneys enhance their skills by attending continued legal education courses and by participating in local and state bar associations. They offer a variety of legal services and perform many different types of legal tasks.

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