Selling your Washington home in a sellers’ market can be very profitable, but having a property line dispute with a neighbor can hinder the transaction. However, you can take these steps to settle the issue.
Talk with your neighbor
If you’re planning on selling your home but know that a property line dispute exists, the best way to start resolving it is to talk with your neighbor. Discuss the situation rationally if possible. Sometimes, you can come to a respectful resolution through a conversation. If you agree to solve the issue, you can exchange deeds to the land and see where one property line ends and the other begins.
Look at public records and hire a surveyor
You can check public records to determine property lines. Check your title information and land survey. If necessary, you can also hire a surveyor to determine where your property begins and ends and where your neighbor’s property comes in. This should be sufficient to convince your neighbor about the situation. However, if there is still a dispute, you might have to take things further or have problems when it comes to selling your home.
Try mediation
Your next option is to give mediation a try. This is a better option than going to court because it’s faster, cheaper and allows you and your neighbor to negotiate to come to a resolution on your property line issues. Nothing said during mediation sessions goes on public record, so the proceedings are kept private. You and your neighbor meet with a neutral third party, the mediator, who helps you to work through the dispute.
However, if you are unable to reach a solution through mediation, you might have no other choice but to take the issue to court.