David E. Holland

David Holland has represented sellers, purchasers, developers and lenders in a wide variety of real estate legal matters for over 35 years. He provides closing services on residential and commercial transactions for sellers, buyers and lenders in Erie and the northwest Pennsylvania area including Meadville, Warren and Franklin. He concentrates his practice on real estate closings, development work and tax sale litigation, but has extensive experience in commercial and residential leases, installment sales contracts (land contracts), options, condemnations, mortgages and easements.

He has litigated numerous cases involving upset tax sales and judicial tax sales throughout western and central Pennsylvania including Erie, Crawford, Warren, Lawrence, Mercer, Beaver, Westmoreland, Fayette and Washington counties. This area of practice has involved frequent appearances in the appellate courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as trial court proceedings.

Mr. Holland is an agent for First American Title Insurance Company and an approved attorney for Penn Attorneys Title Insurance Company. He has been counsel to the Greater Erie Board of Realtors for over 30 years.

He is Co-Chair of MacDonald Illig’s Real Estate Practice Group and was recently recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as a Best Lawyer in Real Estate Law.

In April, 2017, the Board of Property sitting in Harrisburg ruled in Mr. Holland’s client’s favor in a quiet title action brought against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  At issue was approximately 200 acres in Clearfield County claimed by the Commonwealth since 1923.

Mr. Holland recently presented a series of seminars to the Greater Erie Board of Realtors regarding a broad area of topics.

In May of 2014, the Commonwealth Court affirmed the decision of the trial court which upheld the validity of the upset tax sale involving several parcels of land in Fayette County. Mr. Holland successfully argued on appeal that the Tax Claim Bureau had properly posted the properties with Notices of Tax Sale, and that there was sufficient evidence of proper posting in the record to support the trial court’s finding.  The Commonwealth Court agreed and affirmed the trial court’s decision upholding the validity of the tax sale.

A favorable ruling was received from the trial court on behalf of a purchaser on a contested upset tax sale. The prior owner, a decedent’s estate, argued that the Tax Claim Bureau should have notified not only the personal representative of the upcoming tax sale, but the estate’s attorney and CPA of record. The trial court rejected the argument and confirmed the validity of the tax sale.

Mr. Holland closed a complex new construction purchase involving substantial disputes with the contractor/seller. He has assisted developers in acquiring sites and drafting necessary condominium and planned unit development documents.

Bar & Court Admissions:

• Pennsylvania
• Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Education:

• J.D., Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University – Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 1976
• B.S., Gannon University – Erie, Pennsylvania, 1973

Memberships & Associations:

• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Erie County Bar Association