Before you sign anything
What the work involves and what each document does, walked through with you.
Real estate · Reno and Washoe County
Most of it comes down to a piece of paper.
A lease, a deed, a covenant recorded before you bought, a notice with a date on it. Most real estate work here is a dispute about one of those: a landlord and a tenant, co-owners who can’t agree, a rule someone says you broke. Both sides are welcome, though never both sides of the same matter.
The short answer
Bring the paper your question is about and we’ll start there. If there’s a deadline on it, say so first; landlord–tenant matters in particular move in days.
In this area
What people bring in
| The situation | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Landlord–tenant | Notices, deposits, and evictions in Washoe County, Carson City, Douglas County, Lyon County, and surrounding areas, for landlords and for tenants. The deadlines are short, which is why the first question is always which notice was served and when. |
| Co-owners who can’t agree | Siblings who inherited a house together, a couple who never married, a partner who wants out. A court can divide the property or order it sold. |
| Covenants on the land | Rules recorded against a property, with or without an association, and what happens when someone says you’ve broken one. |
| Selling a home yourself | Without an agent, nobody is reading the contract on your behalf. It can be reviewed before you sign it. |
| A title problem | A deceased owner still on the deed, a misdescribed parcel, a lien nobody expected. These tend to surface when a sale is about to close. |
| Land use and zoning | What a property may be used for, and what your options are when the rules and your plans disagree. |
| Manufactured housing | A manufactured home is often titled one way while the land under it is titled another, and that raises its own questions in a sale or an estate. |
| A commercial transaction | Buying, selling, or leasing commercial property. |
Deeds
A deed is a page or two that permanently moves a property from one owner to another. The wrong deed type, a misdescribed parcel, or a missed recording step creates title problems that surface years later, usually when the property is being sold. A deed should be prepared with the title checked against the county record before anything is signed:
- Trust transfer deeds, which fund your living trust so that it works.
- Transfer-on-death deeds, which pass a home outside probate in a simple situation and can be revoked at any time.
- Quitclaim deeds, for family transfers, divorce settlements, and adding or removing a spouse.
- Grant, bargain & sale deeds, the standard deed for a Nevada sale.
If you’re about to sign something, have it read first.
Request a consultationLandlord–tenant, in full Landlord–tenant matters move on short deadlines. This office takes them, for landlords and for tenants, and they have a page of their own: Landlord–tenant.
How we charge
Agreed before work begins
Nothing starts until you know how the work is priced and how payment works.
Before you call
Do you represent landlords or tenants?
Both, though never both sides of the same matter.
What is a partition action?
When co-owners cannot agree what to do with a property, a court can divide it or order it sold and split the proceeds. Either co-owner can bring one.
Do covenants apply if there is no homeowners’ association?
They can. Covenants, conditions and restrictions are recorded against the land itself, and older ones may bind a property whether or not an association exists to enforce them.
What is a transfer-on-death deed?
A recorded deed naming who receives your property at death, with no probate and no loss of control during life. It can be revoked at any time. A trust does more if you need planning for incapacity or for minor children.
When you’re ready