Michele K McNeill

In 2010, I was disabled and no longer able to work, nor keep up with my mortgage. My former employer (King County) referred me to Michele for a complimentary consultation. I hoped to get advice on how to get a loan modification of some sort. I was immediately impressed with her. She took time to l...isten and learn about the details of my situation, explain my options to me, and to answer an extensive set of questions from me and my sister who joined me at the meeting. It was clear from the start that Michele had deep knowledge of real estate law. In my case, refinancing and loan modification were not viable options and it became clear that a short sale would be necessary. I asked Michele if I could or should hire her to help with the short sale process, and she recommended that I NOT hire her on retainer for this work. Instead, she told me to save my money and gave me step-by-step instructions on what to expect and what to do to move forward with a short sale on my own. She took a lot of time to explain the pitfalls of the short sale process and also made me aware of two critical things: 1) I needed to secure specific language from the bank in the sale documents saying that I would not owe any money after the sale closed. 2) After getting that language secured, the forgiven debt would be reported as income. However, due to an Obama administration tax break, IF my short sale closed in 2012, I would not have to pay tax on that amount. As I worked through the short sale process, everything happened exactly as she predicted. When I had questions or wanted a document reviewed, I contacted Michele via email and she always replied promptly, providing clear, concise answers and feedback, and for minimal charge. Thanks to Michele, I was aware of the urgency of closing the sale in 2012. My real estate agent pushed hard and my short sale closed just before Christmas. The bank forgave $130k and, because of meeting the tax-break deadline, I will not have to pay tax on that amount. My total consultation fees with Michele totaled just a few hundred dollars and saved me about $40,000 in taxes. If you are looking for a real estate attorney, look no further.

Michele McNeill is an extremely professional and exceptionally experienced attorney. Her sharp expertise and well-researched legal briefs allow for a successful resolve for any client she represents. Her style is no-nonsense, practical, intelligently executed representation and always focused on the ...good of her clients. Her knowledge base is expansive, as she is well-diversified in her humane and compassionate representation and clearly able to address most any issue connected with a case. Excellent firm with quality representation! Sometimes slow to return phone calls, only because of their high demand and thorough research for all clients. Very communicative and worth every ounce of trust from clients!

I was looking at different options in regards to my home since I was in a severe negative equity situation. Michele was very thorough and spent a considerable amount of time reviewing all the different scenarios and options. She was always great about follow up and always responded immediately to a...ny other questions I had either via email or phone. I've been very impressed with the overall service and responsiveness and have recommended her to friends and colleagues.