Real Estate Attorney Minneapolis, MN

Christensen Law PLLC has been litigating real estate disputes since 2008, representing businesses, property owners, and homeowners across Minnesota and around the country. We are a recognized leader in representing debtors—the borrower, the buyer, the property owner, the homeowner—when lenders, servicers, sellers, contractors, or counterparties cross the line.

Our real estate attorneys handle commercial (business-to-business) disputes on either side, and represent consumers in disputes against businesses, including foreclosure defense and a full range of state and federal consumer protection claims. We do not handle landlord-tenant matters.

Clients come to us because we get results where others have not—reviving cases other firms have passed on, unwinding foreclosures other lawyers called unwinnable, and resolving B2B disputes that had stalled in litigation. And because of the firm’s deep consumer law bench, we understand how to negotiate debt. Every day we sit across the table from banks, mortgage servicers, debt buyers, and collection firms. We know how they price risk, how they document loans, where their files are weakest, and what motivates them to settle.

Who We Represent in Real Estate Matters

Commercial (Business-to-Business) Real Estate Disputes

In commercial real estate disputes, we represent either side—plaintiff or defendant, buyer or seller, borrower or lender, owner or developer, contractor or owner. Our attorneys regularly handle:

Commercial purchase and sale disputes, including failed closings, earnest money disputes, and breach of purchase agreement claims
Distressed property purchases, sales, and workouts
Commercial mortgage defaults, loan modifications, and workout negotiations
Commercial foreclosure defense and deficiency disputes
Mechanics’ liens—both enforcement and defense
Construction defect and construction law disputes
Real estate finance and lender liability claims
Partition actions among co-owners
Easement, boundary, and title disputes
Real estate disclosure litigation
Property tax appeals
Zoning and municipal land use appeals
Commercial lease disputes (excluding routine landlord-tenant work)

Consumer vs. Business Real Estate Disputes

When the dispute is between a consumer and a business—a homeowner against a lender, servicer, broker, builder, or seller—we represent the consumer. That focus is intentional. Federal and Minnesota consumer protection statutes give homeowners powerful tools, and we know how to use them.

Foreclosure Defense for Minnesota Homeowners

Christensen Law PLLC has been a leader in foreclosure defense since 2008. We defend Minnesota homeowners facing mortgage foreclosure and bring affirmative claims against lenders, mortgage servicers, and assignees for violations of federal and state law. Common defenses and claims include:

Lack of standing—the foreclosing party cannot prove it owns the loan or has the right to enforce it
Procedural failures under Minnesota’s foreclosure-by-advertisement and foreclosure-by-action statutes
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) violations—inaccurate disclosures of APR, finance charges, payment schedules, or assignment notices
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) violations—improper servicing transfers, ignored qualified written requests, force-placed insurance abuses, and improper escrow handling
Predatory and unfair lending—loan flipping, loan packing, asset-based lending, equity stripping, and steering
Zombie mortgage defense—old, dormant junior liens revived by debt buyers with inflated balances
Bankruptcy-based reorganization where Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 is the right tool (see our bankruptcy practice)

State and Federal Consumer Law Claims Arising From Real Estate

Real estate disputes frequently involve overlapping consumer protection violations. We bring these claims as affirmative cases or as counterclaims and defenses inside a foreclosure or collection action. See our consumer law practice for the full picture. In real-estate-related matters we routinely litigate:

Truth in Lending Act (TILA)

Mortgage originators and assignees must give borrowers accurate, complete, and timely disclosures. Material TILA violations can support damages and, in some cases, rescission of the loan.

Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)

RESPA governs mortgage servicing, escrow accounts, loss mitigation reviews, error notices, and information requests. Servicers who ignore qualified written requests, dual-track foreclosures during loss mitigation review, or mishandle escrow accounts are exposed to RESPA liability.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

Debt collectors, debt buyers, and—under current case law—certain mortgage servicers and foreclosure firms can be liable under the FDCPA for abusive, false, or misleading collection activity, including improper foreclosure communications.

Usury

Minnesota and federal law cap interest rates and prohibit disguised interest. We evaluate mortgage notes, second mortgages, seller-financed transactions, hard-money loans, and judgment liens for usurious rates and unlawful charges.

Minnesota Consumer Fraud, Deceptive Trade Practices, and False Advertising Statutes

The Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act, Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, False Statement in Advertising Act, and Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act reach a broad range of misrepresentations and omissions in real estate transactions—including failed disclosures by sellers, brokers, builders, and lenders. The Minnesota Private Attorney General Statute can support a fee award when these claims advance the public interest.

Real Estate Consumer Fraud and Predatory Lending

We bring claims for misrepresentation in property condition disclosures, bait-and-switch closing terms, hidden fees, undisclosed mortgage assignments, builder fraud, title defects concealed at closing, and predatory mortgage origination targeting elderly or low-income borrowers.

Real Estate Services We Provide

Commercial real estate litigation
Purchases and sales, including distressed property purchases, sales, and workouts
Property tax appeals
Partition actions
Municipal and zoning matters
Commercial lease disputes
Foreclosure defense
Affirmative consumer protection litigation (TILA, RESPA, FDCPA, Minnesota consumer fraud statutes)
Real estate dispute representation
Mechanics’ liens—enforcement and defense
Real estate finance and lender liability claims
Construction defect
Real estate disclosure claims

What We Do Not Handle

To keep our focus where we add the most value, our real estate group does not handle routine residential or commercial landlord-tenant work, including eviction prosecution or eviction defense outside of a foreclosure context. If you contact us about a landlord-tenant matter, we will do our best to refer you to a qualified attorney.

Why Debtors, Owners, and Homeowners Choose Christensen Law PLLC

Litigating real estate disputes since 2008. Nearly two decades of continuous courtroom and workout experience in Minnesota and federal courts around the country.

Results where others have not. We are regularly retained on cases other firms have declined or could not move—stalled foreclosure defenses, broken-down B2B disputes, and matters where prior counsel hit a wall.

We understand how to negotiate debt. Our extensive consumer law practice means we negotiate with lenders, mortgage servicers, debt buyers, and collection firms every day. We know their playbooks, their pressure points, and how to extract real concessions.

Debtor-side focus. We have spent more than 15 years on the borrower’s, buyer’s, and homeowner’s side of real estate disputes.

Cross-disciplinary firepower. Real estate disputes rarely sit in one box. We combine real estate litigation with consumer protection, business law, complex litigation, and bankruptcy.

Commercial bench strength. Our attorneys regularly represent businesses on either side of B2B real estate disputes, from earnest money fights to multi-million-dollar workouts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate Representation

Do you represent businesses, homeowners, or both?

Both. In commercial (business-to-business) real estate disputes we represent either party. In disputes between a consumer and a business, we represent the consumer.

Do you handle landlord-tenant cases?

No. We do not handle landlord-tenant work, including evictions, outside of a foreclosure context.

Can a foreclosure case also be a consumer law case?

Often, yes. A single foreclosure can involve TILA disclosure violations, RESPA servicing violations, FDCPA collection violations, and state consumer fraud claims. We routinely package these together as defenses, counterclaims, or stand-alone affirmative cases.

What is a "zombie mortgage"?

A zombie mortgage is an old, dormant junior mortgage that resurfaces years later—often after being sold to a debt buyer—with an inflated balance and threats of foreclosure. These loans frequently include charges the servicer cannot legally collect, and the holder often cannot produce the records needed to enforce them.

Do I have to be in Minneapolis to work with you?

No. We represent clients throughout Minnesota, and we handle consumer protection and mortgage-related cases in courts around the country.

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Call Us to See How We Can Help

If you are a business facing a commercial real estate dispute, a homeowner facing foreclosure, or a consumer who has been wronged by a lender, servicer, builder, broker, or seller, contact Christensen Law PLLC for a confidential consultation.

Call (612) 473-1200 or use our online contact form.