When a dispute puts your property, your title, or your money on the line, you need a lawyer who litigates real estate cases — not a closing office. Walter Law Firm, PC represents Houston property owners, buyers, sellers, landlords, and investors in real estate disputes, from the first demand letter through trial. Call (713) 529-2020 to talk through your situation with an attorney.
We focus on the disputes side of real estate: fights over ownership and title, boundaries, contracts, deeds, leases, and liens. Licensed in Texas since 1988, attorney Teri Walter is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization — so when a property matter has to be fought, you have a trial lawyer, not just a paper-pusher. (If you need a routine closing, we’re not the right fit — but if that closing has gone sideways, we are.)
What a Real Estate Litigation Attorney Handles
Real estate is one of the most common places business and personal disputes turn into lawsuits, because so much money and so many overlapping rights sit on a single piece of property. A deed, a survey line, a lease clause, or an unpaid contractor can each put your ownership or your investment at risk. A real estate litigation attorney steps in when those rights are contested — to protect your claim to the property, recover what you’re owed, or defend against someone else’s claim.
Below are the real estate disputes we most often handle for Houston clients. Many overlap — a fraudulent deed can also be a fraud claim; a lease fight can also be a breach of contract — and we handle the whole tangle rather than sending you to three lawyers.
Types of Real Estate Disputes We Handle in Houston
Title & Ownership Disputes When who owns what is in question — a cloud on title, a competing claim, a forged or fraudulent deed, an error in the chain of title, or a missing heir — it can freeze a sale and threaten your ownership outright. We bring and defend quiet-title and trespass-to-try-title actions to establish clear ownership and clear the record.
Boundary Disputes & Adverse Possession Fences in the wrong place, encroaching structures, and neighbors claiming land they’ve used for years are more than annoyances — under Texas law, long-term use can ripen into an actual ownership claim. We litigate boundary and encroachment disputes and both pursue and defend adverse possession claims, where the survey, the deed, and the history all matter.
Breach of Real Estate Contracts When a purchase or sale falls apart — a seller who won’t close, a buyer who walks, an earnest-money fight, an undisclosed defect — Texas gives you remedies, but the contract’s terms and the statute of frauds control what you can enforce. We pursue and defend claims for breach, specific performance (forcing the deal to close), and damages.
Deed, Conveyance & Ownership-Transfer Problems Deeds are deceptively easy to get wrong, and a bad one can cost an owner everything. We handle disputes and corrections involving improper or fraudulent conveyances, transfers of property between spouses and family, and subject-to and owner-financed sales that go bad.
Commercial Lease & Landlord-Tenant Disputes For commercial landlords and tenants, the lease is the battleground — unpaid rent, holdover tenants, CAM and repair fights, lockouts, and evictions. We handle commercial lease enforcement and landlord evictions on both sides, within the strict procedures Texas law requires.
Partition Actions When co-owners can’t agree on what to do with a jointly owned property — inherited land, a property split between partners or family — Texas law lets a co-owner force a division or sale through a partition action. We bring and defend these to get you out of a co-ownership you no longer want, on the best terms available.
Liens, HOA & Encumbrance Disputes Mechanic’s and materialman’s liens, invalid liens clouding your title, and homeowners’-association disputes can all tie up a property. We enforce valid liens, remove improper ones, and litigate the underlying payment or covenant dispute.
Fraud & Misrepresentation in Real Estate When a deal was built on a lie — a concealed defect, a misrepresented boundary or condition, a straw buyer, or an alter-ego or shell entity used to hide a bad actor — you may have fraud and DTPA claims well beyond simple breach, with greater damages available.
How Real Estate Litigation Works in Texas
Most real estate disputes follow a recognizable path. It starts with assessment — the deeds, survey, contract, and title history usually decide the case, so we read the paper before anyone spends on a fight. Many disputes resolve at the demand stage, where a well-built demand (and, where appropriate, a recorded lis pendens that warns the world a property is in litigation) brings the other side to the table.
If not, the case is filed — real estate suits are generally heard in Texas district court in the county where the property sits (Harris County for most Houston matters). Then comes discovery, dispositive motions like summary judgment, court-ordered mediation (where most cases settle), and, when necessary, trial. Deadlines matter throughout — limitations periods and the specific statutory steps for liens, evictions, and DTPA notice are unforgiving — which is why calling early genuinely changes outcomes.
Residential and Commercial
We handle both. A homeowner fighting a fraudulent deed or a boundary encroachment and a commercial investor fighting a failed purchase or a defaulting tenant face different facts but the same core question: who has what rights to this property, and how do we enforce them. The firm litigates real estate disputes across residential and commercial property throughout Houston and Harris County.
Why Walter Law Firm
You work directly with the attorney handling your case — not a rotating team of associates. That means faster answers, senior judgment on every decision, and litigation run efficiently instead of staffed to inflate a bill. For property owners and businesses, that combination of senior trial experience and direct access is often the difference between a fight you can afford and one you can’t.
Talk to a Houston Real Estate Lawyer
If you’re facing a property, title, contract, or landlord-tenant dispute anywhere in Houston or Harris County, we’ll give you a straight read on where you stand and what it will take. Call Walter Law Firm, PC at (713) 529-2020 or contact us to schedule a consultation.
Houston Real Estate Litigation FAQ
How much does a real estate lawyer cost in Houston? It depends on the dispute and how far it goes. Some matters are handled hourly, some on flat or blended fees, and certain claims may allow you to recover attorney’s fees from the other side. We give you an honest fee structure and a realistic cost range at the outset. Call (713) 529-2020.
Do you handle real estate closings? No — we focus on real estate disputes and litigation, not routine closings. If a closing or purchase has gone wrong, though — a seller who won’t close, an undisclosed defect, a title problem — that’s exactly what we handle.
What is a quiet-title action? It’s a lawsuit to establish clear ownership and remove a “cloud” on your title — a competing claim, an old lien, a defective or fraudulent deed. It’s one of the main tools for fixing an ownership question that’s blocking a sale or threatening your rights.
Can someone really take my land by adverse possession in Texas? Under the right conditions, yes — Texas law lets someone who openly uses another’s land for a long enough period claim ownership, and the required period varies with the facts. Whether a claim succeeds turns on the deed, the survey, the use, and the timeline, which is why these cases are won or lost on the details.
How long do I have to sue over a real estate dispute in Texas? It varies by claim — many real estate and contract claims run about four years, some fraud claims four, and certain actions are shorter. Because a missed limitations period can bar a good claim entirely, and because liens and evictions run on strict statutory deadlines, don’t wait to have it evaluated.
What is specific performance? It’s a court order forcing a party to actually go through with a real estate contract — often used when a seller refuses to close on a unique property. Because land is considered unique, Texas courts will, in the right case, order the sale to be completed rather than just award money.
Do you represent both plaintiffs and defendants? Yes. We bring claims for owners, buyers, sellers, and landlords who’ve been wronged, and we defend those who’ve been sued.
Can you help before there’s a lawsuit? Yes — and it’s often the best time to call. A demand letter, preserved records, a recorded lis pendens, and correct statutory notice can resolve a dispute or strengthen your position before anything is filed.
Do you handle both residential and commercial real estate disputes? Yes — residential and commercial property disputes across Houston and Harris County.
