Las Vegas · Nevada

    Purchase and Sale Disputes

    Free consultation. You will speak with Chris directly.

    A stalled escrow, a blown closing date, or a problem found after the keys changed hands

    Chris Sullivan Law handles purchase and sale disputes for buyers and sellers in Las Vegas, representing people whose real estate deal stalled in escrow, collapsed at the closing table, or closed badly.

    These matters arrive in a handful of familiar shapes. A buyer walks and the seller wants the deposit. A seller refuses to sign and the buyer still wants the property. A contingency deadline passed and both sides now read the same paragraph differently. A defect surfaces after closing that nobody put on the disclosure form. In every one of them, money is already committed and the clock is running.

    This is a real estate practice, and purchase and sale disputes are handled here from both sides of the transaction. That includes pursuing and defending claims for breach of a real estate contract, earnest money disputes, specific performance when one party wants the sale completed rather than compensated, and seller nondisclosure claims brought after closing.

    What actually decides a purchase and sale fight

    Three things usually decide a Nevada purchase and sale dispute: what the signed contract says, what was disclosed, and what each side actually did when the deadline arrived.

    Arguments about who was unreasonable rarely move the outcome. What moves it is the document set. The purchase agreement and its addenda define the deadlines, the contingencies, the notice requirements and the remedies. The disclosure forms and inspection reports define what the buyer was told about the property and when. The written record of notices, demands and responses shows what each party did as the dates came and went, which is often the difference between a defensible cancellation and a breach.

    • The contract and its addenda control the deadlines, contingencies and remedies available to each side.
    • The disclosure forms and inspection reports establish what the buyer was told about the property before closing.
    • The written notices and responses show how each party acted when a deadline arrived or passed.
    • The escrow instructions govern how and when the deposit can be released.

    Reading those documents together, rather than arguing about them one email at a time, is how a position gets built that will hold up in a demand letter, in a negotiation, or in court.

    The paperwork to pull together before you do anything else

    The most useful thing you can do today is preserve the full record of the deal: the signed agreement and addenda, the disclosures, the inspection reports, the escrow instructions, and every email and text with your agent and the other side.

    Deals come apart quickly and records disappear just as fast. Agents change brokerages, text threads get cleared, listing photographs come down, and the property gets repaired or resold. Save everything now, in one place, including the messages that are unflattering to you. A complete record reviewed early is worth far more than a selective one assembled later.

    • Save the signed purchase agreement together with every addendum, counteroffer and amendment.
    • Keep all seller disclosure forms exactly as they were delivered to you.
    • Preserve the inspection reports, repair requests, responses and any contractor estimates.
    • Download the escrow instructions and every document you signed at the escrow office.
    • Export the complete email and text thread with your agent, the other agent and the other party.
    • Photograph the condition of the property and any defect you have discovered.

    Bring that set to the first conversation. It lets the contract be read against what actually happened, instead of against what each side remembers happening.

    Getting your contract reviewed while it still matters

    Chris Sullivan Law handles purchase and sale disputes for clients in Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and elsewhere in Nevada, from the office at 8363 W. Sunset Rd., Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89113.

    Purchase and sale disputes reward early advice. Once a cancellation is signed, a deposit is released, or an admission goes out by text, the options narrow. If your deal has stalled, if the other side will not close, if your earnest money is frozen, or if you have found something after closing that should have been disclosed, have the contract read before you take the next step.

    Call (702) 471-0112 to discuss the deal, what went wrong and what the documents support. Residential and commercial purchase agreements are both handled, for buyers and for sellers.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    The other side won't close. Can I force them to go through with the sale?
    Sometimes, yes. When a buyer or seller refuses to complete a signed purchase agreement, the injured party generally has two directions to choose between: ask a court to order the sale to go through, which is the remedy called specific performance, or pursue damages for the breach. Chris Sullivan Law pursues and defends both specific performance and breach of contract claims arising from Nevada purchase and sale agreements. Which direction fits your situation depends on what the contract says, whether you are ready, willing and able to perform your own side, and what has happened since the closing date passed. The practical next step is to stop trading accusations by text, pull together the signed agreement and every addendum, and call (702) 471-0112 so the contract can be read before positions harden.
    Who gets the earnest money when a deal falls apart?
    The contract decides it, and the escrow holder is usually not willing to hand the deposit to either side while the two of you disagree. That is why earnest money sits frozen for weeks while both parties insist it is theirs. Chris Sullivan Law handles earnest money disputes for buyers and sellers, and the analysis starts with the same documents every time: the purchase agreement and its addenda, the contingency and deadline terms, the escrow instructions, and the written notices each side sent as the deal came apart. Do not sign a cancellation or release of deposit because someone tells you it is routine paperwork. Have it reviewed first, then release or demand the funds from a position you can actually support.
    The seller didn't disclose a problem I found after closing. Do I have a case?
    You may. Seller nondisclosure claims are a core part of what Chris Sullivan Law handles in purchase and sale disputes, and they turn on what the seller actually knew, what the disclosure documents said, and what you were told or shown before you closed. Finding a defect after closing is not the end of the story simply because escrow has closed and the keys have changed hands. Start by preserving everything: the disclosure forms, the inspection reports, the repair requests and responses, photographs of the condition you found, any contractor estimates, and the full email and text thread with the agents and the seller. Then call (702) 471-0112 to have the file reviewed while the evidence is still fresh and the problem is still documented.
    Does an 'as-is' clause mean I have no claim against the seller?
    Not automatically. An as-is clause is one term in a contract that usually contains many other terms, and it sits alongside the disclosure documents the seller signed and the representations the seller and the agents made during the deal. The question is never just whether the words appear in your contract; it is how those words interact with what the seller knew and what the seller said. Before you accept that an as-is sale ends the conversation, have the purchase agreement, the addenda and the disclosure forms read together by a real estate attorney. Chris Sullivan Law reviews exactly that combination of documents in seller nondisclosure and breach of contract matters.
    I missed a contingency deadline. Have I already lost my deposit?
    Do not assume so, and do not sign anything that says so. A missed deadline is a serious fact, but it is one fact among several: what the contract required, how notice was supposed to be given, what the other side did or said after the date passed, and whether anyone treated the deal as still alive all matter to where the deposit ends up. The worst move is a panicked email admitting fault or a signed release handed over at the escrow counter. Gather the agreement, the addenda, the escrow instructions and the full written thread showing what each side communicated around that date, and get the contract reviewed before you concede the money.
    Can I just cancel the contract and walk away, or do I need to do something first?
    Walking away without following the contract is how a buyer or seller turns a defensible position into a breach. A signed purchase agreement typically sets out how cancellation has to happen, who must be notified, in what form, and by when. Silence, a phone call to your agent, or simply refusing to sign closing documents is not the same thing as a valid cancellation. Before you send a cancellation notice or stop performing, have the agreement and its addenda reviewed so the exit you take is the one the contract actually gives you. Chris Sullivan Law advises buyers and sellers on that decision and litigates the disputes that follow when the other side disagrees.
    My agent and the title company are telling me different things. Who's actually right about the contract?
    Neither of them decides your legal rights. Agents and escrow officers each see one slice of the transaction and each answer within their own role, which is why you get two confident and conflicting answers about the same deadline or the same deposit. What governs is the signed purchase agreement, the addenda, the disclosures and the escrow instructions, read as one document set. If the people around your deal are contradicting each other on a point that controls real money, that is the signal to have the paperwork read by a real estate attorney rather than to pick whichever answer you prefer. Call (702) 471-0112 and bring the full set of documents.
    How long does a purchase and sale dispute take in Nevada, and does it have to go to trial?
    Not every dispute ends in a courtroom. Many purchase and sale fights are driven by a single disputed term, a frozen deposit or a defect bill, and they can be resolved through demand, negotiation or settlement once each side understands what the contract and the documents actually support. Timing depends on the facts: how quickly the other side responds, whether funds are still sitting in escrow, whether the property has been resold, and how far apart the two positions really are. The realistic approach is to prepare the matter as if it will be litigated while pursuing the resolution that costs you less, and to get an assessment early rather than after months of back and forth.

    Ready to discuss your case?

    A short phone call is usually enough to tell. Free consultation.