Hollywood Real Estate Transactions Attorney

The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team represents property owners, investors, buyers, sellers, landlords, and co-owners in Hollywood and across Broward County, along with clients in Palm Beach County and out-of-state owners with South Florida holdings. A Hollywood real estate transactions attorney earns their keep long before closing day, and also on the day a deal falls apart, a seller refuses to convey, or a co-owner will not sign.

Most transaction problems are decided by the paper. The purchase contract, its contingencies, the deadlines buried in the addenda, and the way each side behaved between signing and closing usually determine who wins when a deal goes sideways. Our work covers both ends: getting the documents right at the start, and enforcing or defending them when a dispute lands in court.

Hollywood real estate is a mix of condominium units near the beach, small commercial buildings along Hollywood Boulevard and the corridors around it, investment duplexes, and inherited family homes. Each type produces its own kind of transaction trouble, and each needs a different set of eyes on the contract.

Why Choose the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team for Hollywood Real Estate Transactions

The Andrew M. Founder Andrew M. Schwartz has spent 37 years in litigation and has practiced in Florida since being admitted to The Florida Bar in 1989. He holds an undergraduate degree from Emory University (1986) and a law degree from the University of Miami (1989). Senior Counsel Sundeep Nath, a Northwestern-trained litigator, brings years of experience in business and real estate cases in both state and federal courts.

That litigation background shapes how we handle transactions. A lawyer who has tried real estate contract cases knows which clauses fail under pressure, which notice provisions get ignored, and which loose ends turn into lawsuits. We draft and review with the courtroom in mind.

The firm has the results to back that up. After a 5-day bench trial in Broward County Circuit Court, the court issued a 32-page final judgment awarding our client specific performance of a commercial real estate contract. For a buyer who bargained for a particular property and not a refund, that is the remedy that matters, and it is one we know how to pursue.

We practice as a true legal team, so everyone working on your file knows it, and we keep a strict 24 hour return call policy. We are also comfortable in mediation and arbitration, and we aim for the resolution that fits your goals and your budget rather than stretching a case out for its own sake. For businesses that want a lawyer involved before problems start, our outside general counsel program covers contract, compliance, and operational questions, and the firm can serve as the company’s registered agent.

Where Hollywood Real Estate Transactions Go Wrong and How We Handle Them

• Purchase and Sale Contract Review: Inspection periods, financing contingencies, and closing deadlines are written into the contract, and missing one can cost a deposit. We read the full contract and every addendum before you sign, not just the price terms.
• Failed Closings and Deposit Disputes: When a buyer walks or a seller will not close, the fight is usually over who breached first and who is entitled to the deposit. We build the record from the contract and the parties’ communications.
• Specific Performance Claims: Real property is treated as unique, so a buyer may ask the court to compel the sale rather than accept damages. These claims are subject to a short one-year limitations period under Florida law, so delay can end the remedy.
• Commercial Real Estate Transactions: Purchases of retail, office, and mixed-use property in and around Hollywood involve leases, estoppels, and title conditions that need to be sorted out before closing, not after.
• Title Problems and Quiet Title Actions: A cloud on title, a competing claim, or a bad conveyance can stall a sale. Florida courts can determine title and cancel instruments that cloud it, and we bring and defend those cases.
• Partition of Jointly Owned Property: Former partners, siblings who inherited a home, and unmarried couples often end up as co-owners who disagree. A court can divide the property or order it sold and the proceeds split.
• Landlord and Tenant Disputes: Nonpayment, lease violations, and termination notices must follow strict statutory steps, and a defective notice can undo an eviction.
• Emergency Injunctive Relief: When a property is about to be sold, encumbered, or stripped while a dispute is pending, we seek temporary and permanent injunctions to hold things in place.

What to Do When a Hollywood Property Deal Is in Trouble

Start by gathering the documents: the signed contract, every addendum and amendment, the deposit receipt, emails and texts with the other side and the agents, inspection reports, and any notices sent or received. Real estate disputes are won on paper, and the sequence of those papers matters.

Do not send angry messages or make verbal promises. Statements made in the heat of a dispute tend to show up as exhibits. Route communications through counsel once a dispute is real, and do not sign extensions or releases without reading what they give up.

Watch the clock. A written contract claim generally has a five-year limitations period, while an oral or implied contract claim has four years. A claim to rescind a contract is four years, and fraud runs four years from discovery, with an outer limit of twelve. A specific performance action has only one year. A professional negligence claim, such as one against a service provider connected to the closing, has two years running from when the claim was or should have been discovered. If you are unsure which applies, assume the shortest.

Where a case is filed depends on size and subject. In Broward County, civil disputes are heard at the courthouses of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, including the South Regional Courthouse in Hollywood for county-level civil matters. Claims above the county court ceiling go to circuit court, which sits in and for Broward County, and the Seventeenth Circuit also has a complex business division for larger business and construction disputes. Federal claims that qualify are heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, which sits in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. For property in Palm Beach County, the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit handles circuit cases. Because a quiet title action can be filed in any county where part of the land sits, venue is worth settling early.

Finally, call a lawyer before you take a step you cannot reverse, such as terminating a contract, serving a default notice, or letting a closing date pass. Whether you terminated properly is often the whole case.

Quiet Title and Partition in Broward County

Two real estate remedies come up often enough in Hollywood to deserve a closer look.

A quiet title action asks the court to declare who owns land and to remove competing claims. Florida courts have jurisdiction over suits by anyone claiming legal or equitable title, and over disputes where two or more people claim the same land under a common source. The plaintiff generally must trace title back at least seven years before filing, unless the court orders otherwise. Where the dispute stems from an alleged fraudulent conveyance, the statute allows a summary procedure and directs the court to move the case up on its calendar.

Adverse possession claims are related. Without color of title, Florida requires seven years of actual, continuous possession under a claim of title, and the claimant must file a return with the property appraiser that includes a full legal description. With color of title, the instrument must be recorded in the county where the land lies.

Partition is handled in chancery under Chapter 64. The complaint must describe the land, name the owners and where they live, and state each owner’s share. If the court orders partition, it appoints three commissioners, and if the property cannot be divided fairly, it may be sold at public auction with proceeds shared in proportion to ownership. Where the court orders a sale on credit for good cause, at least one-third of the price must be paid down unless everyone agrees otherwise. Inherited family property can fall under Florida’s Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act, which adds protections for relatives who hold shares, including a requirement that the court consider whether dividing the property in kind would prejudice the owners as a group.

Hollywood Real Estate Transactions Attorney FAQ

When should I hire a real estate attorney in a Hollywood transaction?

Before you sign. Contract terms, contingency deadlines, and title conditions are far easier to fix at the drafting stage than after a dispute begins. A lawyer can also tell you which standard-form provisions to change.

Can a buyer force a seller to close in Florida?

Often, yes. Courts treat real property as unique, so a buyer who performed or was ready to perform can sue for specific performance. That action carries a one-year limitations period under Florida law, so it should not be put off.

How long do I have to sue over a breach of a real estate contract?

A claim founded on a written contract has five years. Oral or implied contracts have four. Rescission is four years, and fraud is four years from discovery with a twelve-year outer limit. The 2023 negligence reform did not change the written-contract period.

What is the difference between a quiet title action and a partition action?

Quiet title decides who owns the property and clears competing claims. Partition assumes the owners are known and asks the court to divide the property or sell it and split the proceeds.

Can I file a quiet title case in a different county from where I live?

Yes. A quiet title complaint may be filed in any county where any part of the land is located, so residence does not control venue.

What happens to the deposit if a closing falls through?

That depends on the contract’s default and deposit provisions and on who breached first. These disputes turn on the exact wording and on whether notices and deadlines were handled correctly.

Which Florida court handles a real estate dispute in Hollywood?

Hollywood sits in Broward County, served by the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit. Smaller civil claims go to county court, larger ones to circuit court, and complex business and construction cases may be directed to the circuit’s complex business division.

My co-owner stopped paying their share of the property. What can I do?

Depending on your agreement and the facts, options include a negotiated buyout, claims for contribution, or a partition action asking the court to divide or sell the property. We review the ownership documents first.

How many days does a landlord have to give before ending a tenancy for nonpayment?

For unpaid rent, the landlord must deliver a written demand, and the tenant has three days after delivery, not counting weekends and court-observed holidays, to pay or leave. Accepting partial rent does not waive the right to terminate, but the landlord must handle the partial payment in one of the ways the statute allows.

I live in New York or New Jersey and own a Hollywood property. Can you handle a dispute for me?

Yes. We regularly represent clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut with South Florida property or business interests. We handle the local court appearances and keep you informed, so you do not have to travel for every hearing.

Can an attorney help if the problem is an old title defect?

Yes. Competing claims, recorded instruments that should not be there, or a conveyance procured by fraud can often be resolved through a quiet title action, and some cases settle once the title evidence is laid out.

Serving Real Estate Clients Across Hollywood and Broward County

From Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk through Downtown Hollywood, Emerald Hills, Hollywood Lakes, and the neighborhoods along Hollywood Boulevard, our team represents buyers, sellers, owners, and investors in real estate matters. We also serve clients in neighboring Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Davie, Cooper City, and Pembroke Park, and across Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Sunrise, Weston, Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, and Deerfield Beach.

Our work reaches north into Palm Beach County, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and West Palm Beach, and extends to clients from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut who own property or business interests in South Florida. Wherever the property sits, we bring the same hands-on attention to the contract, the title, and the courtroom.

Talk to a Hollywood Real Estate Attorney Before the Deal Moves Further

Whether you are about to sign a contract, stuck in a failed closing, or sharing title with someone you can no longer work with, a Hollywood real estate transactions lawyer can tell you where you stand and what to do next. The Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team will review your documents, explain your options in plain terms, and recommend the path that fits your goals and budget.

Call the Andrew M. Schwartz Legal Team to schedule a consultation. We return calls within 24 hours, and the sooner we see the paperwork, the more options you will have.