“The title commitment listed a lien from the seller's old contractor. Maren had it released a week before closing, and explained every step in an email I could actually follow.”
Dana K.Bought a house in Spenard
Real estate law in Anchorage
Every house comes with a few what-ifs
I'm Maren Tolleson, and I practice one kind of law: the legal side of a house. I read the contract, clear the title and sit beside you at closing, whether you're buying, keeping or selling.
What happens to my…
- Earnest money, if the inspection turns up trouble?Buying
- Closing date, if the title search finds an old lien?Title problems
- Sale, if my buyer's loan falls through?Selling
- Yard, if the neighbor's fence sits on my side?Lot lines and easements
- Condo, if the association fines me?HOA disputes
- Taxes, if I sell a rental to buy another?1031 exchanges
The practice, in three verbs
Buy, keep, sell
A house needs a lawyer at three moments: on the way in, while you live in it, and on the way out. The work is different at each one.
- On the way in
Buy
Before you sign the purchase agreement, and again before you sign at closing. I read the contract, the inspection and financing deadlines and the title commitment, and tell you which dates can cost you your deposit.
What buying covers - While it's yours
Keep
Owning a house brings paperwork of its own: a cloud on the title, a fence a foot over the line, a letter from the condo board. I find what the records say and what you can do about it.
What keeping covers - On the way out
Sell
From the listing agreement to the last signature. I check what you're promising the buyer, answer the title objections, and plan the timing when one rental is being traded for another.
What selling covers
Six things nearly every caller asks
If yours isn't here, call or write. A short question gets a short answer, at no charge.
I already have a real estate agent. Why would I need a lawyer?
Your agent negotiates the price and keeps the deal moving, and a good one is worth every bit of the commission. What an agent can't do is tell you what a clause means for you legally, or what to do when the title commitment lists something nobody expected. That's the part I do, and I'm glad to work alongside your agent.
What does it cost?
Buying or selling a house is a flat fee, quoted in writing before I start. That covers reading the contract, reviewing the title commitment, answering title objections, and going over every closing document with you before you sign. Title insurance, recording and escrow fees are separate; the title company charges them at closing. Title problems, HOA disputes and 1031 exchanges are billed by the hour, and I'll give you an estimate in writing before I start.
I've already signed the purchase agreement. Is it too late?
Usually not. Most contracts give you days to inspect, to get financing and to object to the title, and each of those is a door you can still use. Send me the contract today and I'll tell you which deadlines are still open.
Can we do all of this without meeting in person?
Yes. Plenty of my clients are moving here on orders or selling from somewhere else. We can talk by phone or video, I send documents by email, and you can sign in front of a notary wherever you are.
What should I send before our first call?
Whatever you have: the purchase agreement or listing agreement, the title commitment, any survey or plat, and for a condo the association's resale certificate and bylaws. If you only have an address and a worry, that's enough to start.
Do you take landlord and tenant cases, or commercial property?
No. I work on homes, condos, cabins and small rentals of up to four units, at the buying, owning and selling end. I don't handle evictions, lease disputes or commercial buildings, and I'll give you the names of lawyers who do.
Who reads your papers
One lawyer, from the first call to the recorded deed
I opened this office to do one kind of work and do it closely.
You'll have my direct line and my email, and I'm the one who reads every page you send. I've closed on Spenard bungalows, Hillside lots with long shared driveways, Midtown condos and a few cabins you can only reach in winter.
When a deadline is close, I'll say so plainly. When something in the file looks wrong, you'll hear it from me before you hear it at the closing table.
Written after the keys changed hands
“Our condo board fined us for a window we'd replaced with their written approval. She found the approval in the minutes and the fine was withdrawn.”
Roy and Ellen P.Condo owners in Midtown
“I sold my mother's duplex from Fairbanks without driving down once. Every document came with a note saying what it was and where to sign.”
Teresa M.Sold a rental duplex
Sample client notes. Every matter is different, and what happened in one doesn't predict another.
Send the papers you have, and the date that worries you
I'll read them and call you to talk through what they mean before you pay anything.