Greenfield Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Greenfield Title Attorneys

Find the right Title & Boundary Dispute attorney in Greenfield, WI

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 frequently, 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 frequently 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 Greenfield, 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 typically 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 truly owns the land that each of them thought they had just bought. Obviously, whoever loses this dispute will typically 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 Greenfield, Wisconsin

One customary resolution for boundary disputes is a court re-drawing the boundaries to fit with what the assumptions that the neighbors were operating under before the error was discovered. This typically happens when both parties were, for many years, aware of the actual property boundaries, and did nothing about it. Moreover, if the neighbor who has been encroaching onto the other neighbor's land has made costly improvements thereto, this weighs in favor of that neighbor, since changing the property lines would impose significant hardship on that neighbor.

Nonetheless, a court might also enforce the legal property boundaries, particularly if failing to do so would place a significant burden on the owner of the encroached-upon land. If the owner of the encroaching land knew of the encroachment, and concealed it from his neighbor, this fact would further weigh heavily in favor of enforcing the legal property lines.

With title disputes (as opposed to the boundary disputes discussed above), a Greenfield, Wisconsin court has to determine who owns an entire parcel of land. There are some pretty perplexing legal issues involved here.

Without delving into the specifics too much, courts typically resolve title disputes by looking at who recorded the deed first, and whether or not that person had notice of any prior sales of the same land. To succeed in a dispute like this, a buyer will usually need to prove that they were the first to record their deed, and that they had no notice (or reason to know) of any prior conveyances of the same land.

What Can A Greenfield, Wisconsin Attorney Do?

Real property disputes usually 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 Greenfield, Wisconsin real estate attorney, who will assist you navigate these murky legal waters.

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Life in Greenfield

Greenfield, Wisconsin is a city located in Milwaukee County. Its current population is estimated to be about 35,000 people.

Greenfield was formed as a distinct town, out of unincorporated territory in Milwaukee County, in 1957. It was the final municipality in Milwaukee County to incorporate. Greenfield is doing fairly well, economically, with less than 5% of the population living below the poverty line, and a median family income of about ,000, about the same as the state average, which is good compared to many other parts of the region which have been particularly hard-hit by the recession of the early 2010s.

Greenfield, like much of Wisconsin outside the cities, is known for its beautiful natural scenery, boasting rolling green hills, lakes, and rivers. Because of this, Greenfield is home to a large number of parks and recreational areas, featuring hiking, boating, and fishing, among other outdoor activities which are popular among residents and visitors alike.

If you live in Greenfield, Wisconsin, or other parts of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, you're in luck. There are many Greenfield, Wisconsin lawyers who can help you with just about any legal problem you might have. If you think you need legal assistance, you should call a Greenfield, Wisconsin lawyer as soon as possible.

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